The Monster Within
by LightningReformed
Summary: Drayce Tatsugami's entire life had been shrouded in secrets, ones even Drayce himself doesn't know. As fate directs him, he eventually arrives at Youkai Academy, perhaps the one place where he might find answers as well as friends, old and new. But in his search, he discovers that maybe his secrets lead to something bigger and more complex than he had ever imagined.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to the story and thank you for being curious enough to click into it! I won't say much but as of chapter 13, I am co-writing this story with Phoenix Helix! Hope you enjoy the story!  
**

A lone bus rolled down an empty street with beautiful blooming sakura trees lining either side of the asphalt lane. Petals laid beneath the trees, others drifting through the spring breeze. Fifteen year old Tsukune Aono starred out the window.

" _Well, who would've thought I would end up flunking the high school entrance exams?"_ he thought glumly.

He reached into his book bag and pulled out the school pamphlet. He looked at the school's name. Youkai Academy, a school in the middle of nowhere. He sighed and put the pamphlet back into his bag.

" _How did I get here again? Oh yeah…"_ he reminisced.

 **Flashback Begins**

" _Tsukune! Tsukune! Come here!"_

" _Coming mom!"_

 _Tsukune entered the living area to find his mom starry eyed, pamphlet in hand and his dad swelled with pride._

" _Mom? Dad? What's this about?" Tsukune asked, confusion evident in his voice. "What's going on?"_

" _Oh we got great news!" his mom swooned._

" _Huh?"_

" _While your old man was out, he happened to run into someone it was a lucky find!" his dad recounted._

" _Best dad ever!"_

" _I know honey."_

" _Wait up, what is this?" Tsukune asked, taking the pamphlet from his mom as she leaped into his father's arms._

" _Thanks to me, you actually can go to high school now!" his father answered._

" _Wait! You got this from the street?!" Tsukune exclaimed, but ultimately was ignored._

" _Oh thank goodness! Now we don't have to wait another year for you to try again!" his mom remarked dreamily._

 **Flashback Ends**

"Hey kid. Are you the new student attending Youkai Academy?" the bus driver asked, jolting Tsukune back to reality.

"Huh? Yeah, why?" Tsukune replied.

"In that case, I recommend you prepare yourself. That's one hell of a scary school you're attending," The bus driver replied ominously.

"What do you mean?"

Tsukune never got a reply as his phone began to ring. He sighed and retrieved it from his pocket, looking at the caller.

"Cousin Kyoko?" He flips open the phone and takes the call. "Hey Kyoko, what's up?"

" _Hey Tsukune. Listen cous, I was just talking to your mom and she said you were attending some school called Youkai Academy."_

"Yeah, that's right. Why ask?"

" _Cause since my little cousin is going there, I took it upon myself to do some research on the school and I-"_

"Huh? Kyoko? You there?" Tsukune asked as the bus entered the tunnel. "Huh, that's strange."

As the bus approached the exit, the light became brighter and brighter until they finally reached the other side. The bus slowed to a stop and the doors opened with a hiss.

"This is your stop, kid."

"Oh, thanks."

Tsukune grabbed his bags and a got out of his seat. As he passed the driver on his way out, the driver had one last thing to say.

"Hey kid, I'd watch my back if I were you," he advised before closing the door and driving away back through the tunnel.

"It's like a completely different world over here on the other side. And is that the school over there?" he observed. "I should call Kyoko again."

He takes out his flip phone and dials his cousin's number. He holds it to his ear but to his surprise, all he hears are beeps.

"That's strange. I swore I had a signal before entering the tunnel. I should get going," he sighed as he trudged towards the dark woods separating him from the school.

Tree branches cracked beneath his feet as he entered the forest. Crows sat on the branches, their red eyes seemingly leering at him. The gravestones scattered around the path added on to the spooky feeling as he walked down the path.

" _Why do I feel like something's following me?"_ he wondered stopping in his tracks.

As he did, the squeaking noise stopped as well. After listening for a couple of seconds, he continued at a faster pace this time.

" _It's getting closer!"_ Tsukune internally freaked, sweat dripping from his face. He turned suddenly to see a bat following behind him.

"Nope, it's only me, a bat! Weee!" the bat exclaimed before flying away.

"Oh! It was only a bat -ARGH!"

Out of nowhere, a pink bike crashed right into his back, sending him crashing into the ground. The owner of the bike and Tsukune tumbled a few feet as the bike crashed on in front of them.

"Ow! The heck? That hurt," Tsukune groaned as he rubbed his head and pushed himself up on something soft.

A small gasp alerted him to the person next to him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened! I suddenly got so dizzy," the girl moaned as she brushed the hair out of her face.

" _Woah! She's really pretty!"_ Tsukune thought as he looked at the girl's face. In his shock, his hand slipped and landed in between the girl's thighs.

"Agh! I'm sorry! I didn't… It's not like that!" Tsukune panicked as he scooted away from the girl, worried that she might get the wrong idea. As he stopped, blood began to drip from his nose.

"You're bleeding!" the girl exclaimed, before taking out a tissue from her pocket. She reached forward to help wipe the blood away but paused.

"The smell, I can't…but I shouldn't" she began to mutter, looking downwards.

" _Huh? What smell? I mean, her hair does smell nice,"_ Tsukune thought.

"Sorry but I can't help it," she cried as she grabbed his face. "I'm a vampire!"

Before Tsukune to react to such an absurd statement, the girl leaned forward, biting his neck and began sucking his blood. After a few seconds, the girl jerked back in a panic.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" she apologized profusely.

"You bit me!"

" _Wait a minute,"_ Tsukune thought as he pulled the collar of his uniform back to inspect the bite. " _It's not that bad."_

"Are you going to Youkai as well?" the girl asked as she picked up the pamphlet which had fallen out of his bag.

"Uhh, yeah! It's going to be my first year," Tsukune answered as he recovered.

"That's great. This is also going to be my first year too!" the girl exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Well what do you know," Tsukune replied.

"Umm, I have to ask, what do you think of vampires?" the girl asked nervously.

" _Oh come on! This is a joke, it has to be,"_ Tsukune thought. "They're fine by me. I don't have a problem with them in the slightest. If you want to call yourself a vampire, then more power to you!"

"Thank you!" the girl exclaimed happily, hugging Tsukune but in the process knocking him down again. "In that case, maybe we could be friends, what do you think?"

"Uhh sure, why not?" Tsukune replied.

"That's great! I was nervous because I didn't have any friends here yet. Oh, I'm Moka Akashiya by the way."

"Tsukune Aono."

" _Man, I didn't expect to go to school with this cute girl. This is my lucky day,"_ he thought.

* * *

"Welcome class to the first day of school! My name is Shizuka Nekonome and I'm your homeroom teacher!"

"I can't believe we're in the same class!" Moka whispered to Tsukune, the boy nodding back silently with a smile.

"I'm sure you all already know this fact, but Youkai is a school for monsters, by monsters. Currently, the world is run by human so to survive, the only option we have is to learn to coexist with them and that brings us to our first rule!" Ms. Nekonome said.

" _Sure! Monsters! Hah-Hgh!"_ Tsukune thought.

"And that brings us to our first rule class. All students must remain in their human forms at school except for special circumstances. Got that?"

" _Wait! What?! Teacher?!"_ Tsukune thought as his hand shook as he slowly raised it.

"Okay! Second rule, never reveal your monster form to another student. I'm sure you can figure out why! Everyone will follow these rules, right?"

"Huh, a bunch of crap. If we happen to spot human, why not just eat em?" the boy in front of Tsukune asked.

" _He's got to be joking!"_ Tsukune panicked, shaking in fear.

"Hmm, Saizou Komiya was it? Well now, that would be impossible because this school is protected by a magic barrier and any human that gets in will be killed instantly!" answered.

"I still say we eat em and I swear, I've been smelling a human this whole time," Saizou replied.

The door to the classroom suddenly started to slide open slowly and a boy in a black trench coat walked in. The temperature immediately dropped to what would seem to be nearly sub-zero. Everyone watched as the boy walked in.

"Hmm, you were the one the headmaster told me would be late!" Ms. Nekonome said. "Well introduce yourself and then take a seat."

"Drayce Tatsugami," he simply stated and began to walk towards an empty seat. As he passed by, the edges of the desks began to freeze over.

"What's wrong with him? Look at his face."

Whispers began to circulate as the boy walked by. Tsukune looked up to get a good look. Drayce had shaggy black hair, his eye color was a mixture of blue, flowing and eventually turning into red. Well one eye was at least. The left side was iced over, blocking it from view.

" _Man, what did I get myself into?"_ Tsukune internally sighed.

* * *

After classes, Moka was constantly attached t Tsukune's side, making other boys extremely jealous. Even with a beautiful girl at his side, Tsukune could barely get over his crazy experience.

" _No way! This school is filled with monsters?! This has to be a dream! Yeah, it's just a dream!"_ Tsukune thought as Moka dragged him outside to the vending machine. Deciding to be a gentleman, Tsukune paid for the drinks. Moka's choice was tomato juice and Tsukune had a coffee. The two then sat together on the nearby bench sipping their drinks.

"This is fun!" Moka said, taking another drink from her juice.

"Yeah, I guess," Tsukune replied.

"Hey beautiful," Saizou said, walking up o the pair on the bench. "You said your name was Moka Akashiya?"

Saizo grabbed Tsukune by the tie and began to lift him up. Moka immediately leaped up, spilling her drink.

"No! Stop it, let him go!" she shouted.

"What is a pretty thing like you doing with a half assed guy like him? Like come on."

With one swift movement, Saizo threw Tsukune into the vending machine. The force of impact was enough to dent the machine.

"Come on, hang out with me," Saizou offered, grabbing Moka's arm.

"Hey, lay off her."

Saizo turned to see Drayce walking towards them.

"Who are you? Stay outta this!" Saizo snarled.

"I said, lay off!" Drayce growled.

Seeing as Saizou had no intent of doing as he had asked, Drayce put a hand on Saizou's shoulder and yanked him back. A hiss of pain came from the monster as he let go of Moka instinctively to move it to his shoulder.

" _Damn! Why is his hand so cold?"_ Saizou thought as he inspected the steaming shoulder from the cold. The uniform edges had frozen over, just like the desks from the classroom. Giving a nasty stare, Saizou turned and left.

"Tsukune!" Moka cried as she helped up her friend.

"Agh, I'm fine. Hey, thanks for your help," Tsukune thanked.

"Oh, no problem. I hate jerks," Drayce said, extending a hand. "Let me properly introduce myself. Drayce Tatsugami."

"Tsukune Aono. She's Moka Akashiya as you may have heard several times around the school," Tsukune replied, shaking his classmate's hand although it wasn't cold anymore, actually quite normal.

"Are you always that cold? I mean your abilities!" Moka asked quickly, afraid of offending a new potential friend.

"No, nah. It's just that the jerk couldn't take a hint. Don't worry, I have a sense of humor as well if you're wondering," Drayce laughed. "Anyways, I gotta go. I'll be seeing you guys around?"

"Yeah!" Moka replied happily.

Ten minutes later Tsukune and Moka decided to move somewhere safer. They settled for the top of the school.

"That was kind of scary back there," Moka commented. "Are you sure you're fine after that?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that he was really strong," Tsukune replied. " _So that's monster power. Crazy stuff."_

"Oh Tsukune, you're funny. Back there you acted like you've never seen a monster before. So what monster are you? Oh wait yeah, we're not supposed to reveal that are we?" Moka replied. 'I'm sorry, you don't have to answer."

"But I already know that you're a vampire, Moka," Tsukune replied.

"I know, but I had no idea that was a rule back when I told you," Moka replied embarrassed.

"You don't look like one though," Tsukune observed.

"Not right now I don't. Look, the rosary I wear seals away my power. If someone were to remove it, I would turn into a powerful and scary vampire. Even I can't take it off," she explained.

"No, that's okay. Even if you get scary sometimes, I'm sure you're the same Moka," Tsukune reassured.

"I'd knew you'd understand!" Moka said happily. "You're my first friend here! And also, you're also my first for something else. Up until then, I hadn't sucked anyone's blood before. It tasted so good…"

Suddenly, something strange happened. As Moka reached to get another taste, Tsukune saw something, a vision. It was Moka, except her eyes were red, and her hair silvery white instead of the pink hue. In shock, he pushed her back.

"Ahh, I have to go, see ya later," Tsukune apologized nervously.

He ran from the roof back down the stairs until he reached the bottom floor. He pushed open the door and ran through the hallway.

" _This can't be real! How can she be a vampire? Does that mean everyone here is also a monster?! I can't stay here!"_ Tsukune thought. " _I don't think this school is for me."_

He grabbed his bags and walked towards the school gates. As he was about to step through, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Drayce and Moka run towards him.

"Hey Tsukune, the heck happened? Moka told me you were acting- Why do you have your stuff?" Drayce asked.

"Look guys, I don't think I can stay here. I'm going to attend a human school," Tsukune sighed.

"But you can't! You can't go to a human school!" Moka shouted as she tried to pull Tsukune back.

"Moka!"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I don't like human very much. They can be cruel and I know because I attended human schools up until junior high. I was always alone because human didn't believe in monsters. I was an outcast but when I met you, you said you didn't mind me being a vampire. For the first time in forever, I didn't feel lonely," Moka confessed.

"But still, what if I turned out to be one of those humans you hate so much? I'm a human."

As the news sank in, Moka slowly let go and began to back up.

"The only reason I'm here is because of a big misunderstanding. I should've known you both would look at me like that," Tsukune said. "I don't need monsters for friends!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he looked like he regretted them, but nevertheless, turned and ran away. Drayce and Moka stared at his retreating form before Drayce turned to walk away.

"He didn't mean what he said," Drayce said. "I lived with humans long enough to know. If you want him to stay, go after him. Give him a reason."

Moka nodded and began to chase after Tsukune as her friend raced towards the bus stop. After a few minutes of running, she was stopped by someone she never expected to see. Saizou popped out from behind a tree and blocked her path.

"Going somewhere?"

"I'm busy," Moka replied defetly.

"Well you should get busy with my true form, I'm an orc!" Saizou roared.

His tongue flicked out, wrapping around Moka's leg before swinging her into a tree. Her scream reverberated through the forest, enough to catch the attention of Tsukune. Upon hearing her scream, he turned around and began to run back.

"Not that jerk again," he muttered as he came upon the scene. "Get the hell away from her now!"

"Beat it!" Saizou roared in response, whacking Tsukune aside, causing him to roll down a hill in a very uncomfortable manner.

"Tsukune!" Moka shouted as she jumped down after the boy.

"Hah, so here's the bus station," Tsukune muttered as he looked at the familiar pumpkin headed scarecrow.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me!" Moka wept. "I guess humans and monsters really aren't meant to get along. Look at me. I'm a vampire who sucks people's blood while hurting them in the process. To be honest, all I wanted was a friend, human or monster, I didn't care! But now I'm starting to think it isn't possible."

"What's with this sick love shit?" Saizou growled as he landed at the foot of the hill.

"Moka, get out of here. I may be weak and a piece of garbage to you but I still want to be your friend, human or monster," Tsukune as he leaned on the scarecrow for support just as Saizou's attack connected, breaking the dummy and sending Tsukune flying in which Moka immediately ran to his side.

"And even if you are a vampire," Tsukune said, putting a hand on Moka's shoulder. "I still want to be your friend."

As his energy drained, his hand slipped and caught on the rosary, pulling it of with a clang. A wash of light washed over Moka as her transformation began. Bats swarmed her as her eyes changed to blood red, hair into silvery white, just like in Tsukune's vision. Atop the hill, Drayce observed the transition.

"Well this got a whole lot more interesting," he muttered to himself. "A true vampire. Saizou would be stupid to attack."

He watches the scene go on. Like the idiot he was, Drayce watched as Saizou slashed at Moka with his sharp fingers. Tracking her movements carefully, he watched as Moka dodged the strike and sent a kick of her own. The attack connected and sent Saizou flying into the hill side.

"Well, that's that," Drayce laughed.

He jumps from his spot and walks up to Moka.

"Nice kick."

"Drayce Tatsugami. It's been a while." she says. "Anyways, take care of Tsukune and the other me will you?"

"Sure."

She reattaches the rosary and her hair fades back to pink. Drayce catches Moka before she falls and lays her next to Tsukune. He leans against the post stump and waits. After a few minutes, Moka was the first to recover. Drayce gestures to Tsukune next to her and she nods. She moves his head to her lap and the two wait.

* * *

By the time Tsukune came around, night had fallen.

"Huh?"

He looks up to see Moka's face and he smiles.

"Awake huh?" Drayce asks from behind them. "You should really check the schedule for the bus before leaving."

"Huh?" Tsukune wonders before sitting up and taking the schedule from Drayce. "WAIT?! It only comes once a month?"

"Yep."

"You're bleeding," Moka noticed. "The smell…"

"Oh shit, Moka no!" Drayce exclaims as he tries to pry the two apart.

Tsukune simply just sighs as he lets the bit happen. He looks into the night sky and smiles.

" _Well, I guess I'll be staying."_

 **A/N: Confused yet? More will be revealed soon. Mizore is going to be in the next chapter and things are going to get dicey.**


	2. Chapter 2 V2

**A/N: I want to thank ClyxicRyse for telling me this but I now realize that since I skipped over Kurumu, Yukari, and the newspaper club episodes, that's just lazy writing on my part. I'm sorry for that and to anybody else who wanted to see their introductions into this story. As you can see, I rewrote this chapter and all this will be taking place at the end of the first week of school. The circumstances in which Mizore gets her personality change will be different. So ClyxicRyse, thank you for your reminder, hope you enjoy this chapter rewrite.**

It was six in the morning at Youkai, just a few minutes from sunrise. Drayce was alone on a rocky outcrop that overlooked the red coloured sea. The outcrop ended in a spiral shape formation of rock, one of Drayce's favorite quiet places. He slid down the curl and grabbed the inside, pulling himself up to his seat.

Silence was one of the things Drayce had taken for granted here. The dorms, well, he could see why they each had a separate room but just mostly the fact that it was loud. He never really had a quiet night after the first day and he was pretty sure Tsukune wasn't faring as well either, being a human.

He watched as the first rays of dawn peak over the darkened sky. The beautiful rosy red and orange colours began to paint the sky, brightening as every minute passed. Satisfied with his morning display, Drayce climbed back up the spiral and began making his way back to the school.

He stopped by his dorm first and foremost to pick up the essentials for the day. He looked at his schedule and groaned.

 _"Shit, I have home economics. I was supposed to have Tsukune help me with the stuff we learned last time,"_ he berated himself.

Every single time they cooked, the room would usually catch on fire, but he had expected it. Growing up, he never learned about any other things besides academics and how to fight. Exiting his dorm, he strode towards the front entrance to find Tsukune waiting for him.

"Hey Drayce," Tsukune yawned, dark rings visible underneath his eyes. "Sorry I didn't show up to help you."

"Naw, you're fine. To be honest, I forgot about it too. You look like you need the sleep anyways," Drayce replied, chuckling slightly.

"Oh man you have no idea. With Moka sucking my blood everyday and the loud noises from my neighbors," Tsukune complained.

"I've actually considered camping outside just to escape the noise," Drayce replied. "We should probably go, don't want to be late to class."

"Probably the only class you won't say that for is home economics. How many times have you set something on fire in there? Five?" Tsukune laughed.

"Shut up. Not everyone's as gifted in home economics as you or Moka," Drayce grumbled, remembering the past fiascos.

After sprinting to home room, the two boys crashes in and rushes to their respective seats. Moka was already in her seat, waiting for them.

"Hey guys, how's your morning going?" she asked cheerfully.

"It was fine. We both forgot about meeting with each other for home economics. We'll just have to hope that he won't have a repeat of yesterday," Tsukune groaned.

"Okay, it wasn't that bad if you think about it! I only- Wait guys, there's an empty seat next to me. That wasn't there yesterday," Drayce observed.

"That might mean we have a new classmate," Tsukune guessed. "I wonder who it is."

The door to the classroom slid open as the new student walked in. The new student was a girl with light purple hair going just past her shoulders. She wore a white sweatshirt with dark purple sleeves with light and dark purple striped high knee socks.

 _"Why does she look familiar? No, don't fucking tell me,"_ Drayce thought, a feeling of unease rising up.

"I've never seen her before. I wonder why she wasn't here in class for the past few days," Tsukune wondered.

"Class, please welcome our newest student, Mizore Shirayuki! Ms. Shirayuki hasn't been able to attend classes until now due to being sick, so I hope you will all welcome her!" Ms. Nekonome said cheerfully.

 _"Mizore?!"_ Drayce thought as he began to spiral down memory lane.

 **Flashback Start**

 _Walls of flame had engulfed the school as children and teachers alike were running out the school._

 _"Children, please stay calm!" the teacher shouted as she herded the kids to the exit._

 _The last two kids of the class fell behind as a ceiling beam crashed down, separating them from the rest of the class._

 _"Mizore, you have to leave! You're a snow woman, you won't survive long with the fire!" Drayce shouted._

 _"I'm not leaving you behind," Mizore replied fiercely. "What about that promise you made to me?"_

 _"I will, just hang on," Drayce shouted as he kicked down the intersecting beam._

 _A rumbling noise began to sound as the beam supporting the rubble gave way from the kick. Before the rubble raining down on the two could crush them, in a last ditch attempt, Drayce pushed Mizore out of the way and towards the teacher before getting buried underneath the flaming debris._

 _"All personnel, evacuate now! The building is comprised! Gas line leak has sprung from sustained damage!" a fireman shouted, herding the people out._

 _"NO! My friend, he's still in there!" Mizore screamed as tears ran down her face, a she turned to run back._

 _The fireman scooped her up and began to run out the building. As Mizore was carried farther and farther from Drayce, she screamed and kicked to wriggle free. Tears blinded her eyes as she watched the fire engulf her friend. Just as the last of the people exited the burning structure, the building exploded and collapsed in on itself, sinking into the underground from the imploded gas line. Mizore watched in horror and silence at the remains of the school. Her mother rushed to her to comfort her, wiping the tears away._

 _"He's dead," she whimpered. "Why? It's not fair! Why?!"_

 **Flashback Ends**

As the memories ran rampant in Drayce's mind, his ice mask began to crack and fracture. Pieces began to crumble away as his monster energy began to skyrocket, shaking the entire building. Dust began to fall from the ceiling as students began falling out of their seats. The lights began to flicker and die.

"Mr. Tatsugami please! For the fourth time, please control yourself!" Ms. Nekonome shouted as she struggled to stay balanced.

Drayce's eyes widened as he realized what he was doing. He quickly began to repair and seal the mask. Standing up, he made a beeline for the door.

"Please, excuse me," he muttered as he left the room, ignoring the strange looks from his peers.

As the door slammed shut, Mizore could only stare in shock. Ms. Nekonome began to straighten her desk from the small quake.

"Well, please take a seat next to Mr. Tatsugami's desk if you will Ms. Shirayuki," Ms. Nekonome offered. "Then we could start with our class."

Drayce sighed and clenched his hands in fists before moving away from the door. He ran out the school gates into the forest to his quiet place. Sliding down the crest, Drayce looked out to see from his special chair on the spiral rock formation.

"She's here. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck."

He placed his head between his hands and slams his fist to his head.

"Argh! The hell is wrong with me?" he screams.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, Drayce was still nowhere to be seen.

"Do you think he's fine?" Moka asked after swallowing a bite of noodles.

"I don't know. He seemed really sick when he left," Tsukune replied concerned.

"Ahem."

The table turns to see Mizore standing there, fidgeting with one of her sleeves.

"Umm, who was the other boy with you?" she asked quietly.

"The one with the black coat? His name is Drayce Tatsugami. If you're looking for him, we haven't seen him since he stormed out of class," Tsukune replied.

Upon hearing the information, Mizore's eyes began to water. Holding her hand to her mouth to stifle a sob, she turned tail and ran out the cafeteria.

Mizore ran as tears streamed down her face. Every step she took amplified the pain in her heart. As she slowed down, she found herself a little way from the track field. She crouched down, hugging her knees to her chest.

 _"It was my fault! He blames me for leaving him behind!"_ she thought as she mentally beat herself. "Please, forgive me! Forgive me..."

* * *

"Hey Moka, I'm beginning to think something's wrong," Tsukune sighed as he took a seat on the bench outside their classroom.

"Yeah, you're right. Do you think we should tell someone?" Moka asked concerned.

"No, it's fine."

Tsukune looked up to see Drayce walk down the hall to meet up with them. "Drayce! Where were you?! We were looking everywhere for you!"

"I'm sorry. But I guess I owe you two an explanation don't I?" he replied.

"Well it would be nice to get one to understand what's going on," Moka answered.

"Well then, I guess my story begins around four years, when I was in fifth grade," Drace began, sliding down the wall before taking a seat on the floor. "As a kid, I attended Himashi Elementary School in the human world."

"Himashi? Why does that name sound familiar?" Tsukune wondered, scratching his head.

"It'll make sense, just wait. When I attended Himashi, I didn't have friends. They laughed and teased me about my mask, about how I was a freak," Drayce began, his head downcast. "Although, my time at Himashi couldn't been better. I had a friend, someone who understood the situation herself, and someone like us monsters."

"Let me guess, it was Mizore wasn't it? What happened between you two?" Moka asked.

"Wait! Wasn't Himashi the school that-" Tsukune snapped his fingers in realization before morphing into one of sympathy. "Oh, I see."

Drayce nodded grimly before explaining. "Four years ago on February 15, Himashi elementary school burned to the ground, with me inside it."

Tsukune grimaced at the thought of being burnt alive while Moka's eyes widened in horror and shock. "Oh no! No wonder Mizore got so upset. She ran off crying after we told her during lunch," Moka sympathized.

"What?!"

"Uhh, she came looking for you during lunch but when we told her you weren't with us, she started crying and ran off," Tsukune explained.

"Oh no. I gotta go find her! Tsukune, Moka, do me a favor and tell the teacher that I might be late to class," Drayce yelled as he took off running for the stairwell. "Thanks! Oh shit-"

 **SMASH**

"Be careful!" Moka shouted after him. "And watch where you're going!"

Drayce ran through the hallway, rubbing his forehead from his run in with the wall. He burst through the double doors and ran outside, making his way to the cafeteria. By this time of day, the place should be empty, letting him search in peace without anyone questioning him.

 _"There are two entrances and exits here. One I just came through and I doubt Mizore would hide anywhere near the main building. She might be near the sports field? Eh, I've always had horrible luck,"_ Drayce thought as he walked through the door across the room.

The sport court was empty with no signs of anyone. Drayce's eyes did a quick sweep of the area before continuing his search. He was beginning to give up as he wandered to the track field before stopping cold. A shrill scream came from his left near the bushes. His eyes widened as he charge towards the sound.

When he arrived at the spot, all he could see was a wriggling mass of black tentacles.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Drayce growled, sparks flying from his hands.

The mass turned around, dropping the victim to face him. The girl whimpered and looked up. Drayce looked right at Mizore before his face morphed into anger.

"You damn son of a bitch. If you hurt her or did anything to her-" Drayce spat, before getting interrupted.

"Mr. Tatsugami, what are you doing here? You should be in class," Mr. Kotsubo asked, grinning nastily.

"I'm here to kick your ass for touching Mizore," Drayce replied darkly, clenching his hands into fists.

"Do you really think you can beat me, a kraken?!" Mr. Kotsubo boomed.

"Considering how every single time my fried octopus comes out burnt black, I'd say I have a pretty good chance," Drayce shot back, his hands erupting into flames. "Bring it on!"

The kraken snarled and lashed out with an arm but being too quick, Drayce easily jumped onto it, landing a blazing punch onto the body. In retaliation, the monster swatted at Drayce. The boy's eyes widened and braced himself. The tentacle swept right through Drayce getting it burnt in the process.

 _"Argh! How did he dodge my attack?!"_ Mr. Kotsubo thought.

"Surprise surprise, you're pathetic," Drayce laughed, the gap between his chest and legs were aflame, but the fire began to swirl and fill the gap. "It is impossible to touch me. I can become living flames at my will. Give up now and I'll save you the trouble of buying more burn cream."

"You snarky little bastard!" Kotsubo roared and slammed down on Drayce.

Drayce jumped onto the limb and pushed off towards the sky. "Well, I did warn you, so here goes!" Drayce shouts.

His hands began to glow orange before sending a stream of fire straight at Kotsubo. The end of the fire burst apart, making tinier streams, like rain, all homing in on the kraken. The rain of flames exploded on contact, blasting back the monster.

"Leave! Before I report you for assaulting a student, bastard!" Drayce roared.

Wincing, Mr. Kotsubo limped away from the two student, Drayce shooting death stares at the teacher. When the man was out of sight, he turned his attention to Mizore, who was still crying, back against a tree. He walked towards her and knelt down in front of her.

"Mizore, look at me," he whispered softly.

Her innocent purple eyes with tears leaking from them broke his heart all over again. He reached over and pulled her in to hug her.

"I-I thought you died!" she sobbed into his shoulder. "You goddamn jerk! I was so lonely without you!"

"Hush, I'm here now," Drayce whispered. "Did he do anything to you?"

She shook her head, unable to speak. "I thought you hated me for leaving you to die."

"How can I hate you? That would be breaking my promise before I have a chance to fulfill it," Drayce replied, taking her delicate face in his hand and gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.

Her eyes widened at his words. "You mean-?!"

"Yes, I do mean it. I love you, even after all those years. I couldn't let you go, I've never been one to break my promise," Drayce replied. "I swore on that day, that I would go back and pick that flower for you. I don't care where I am or what condition I'm in. I will crawl there if I have to, just to pick that flower for you."

"Then promise me one more thing. Promise that you will never leave me again," Mizore asked, her eyes shining.

"I promise. Anything else?"

"Just hold me."

* * *

"Morning Moka," Tsukune greeted, walking into home room.

"Oh, good morning Tsukune," Moka replied. "Did you see Drayce last night?"

"No, I didn't. I hope he's okay," Tsukune replies, concern in his voice.

"I'm okay, we're both okay."

Both Moka and Tsukune turn to the door to find Drayce with Mizore attached to him, her hands on his shoulder and her head peeping out from behind him.

"Mizore, you really gotta stop doing that. It's gonna creep people out you know," Drayce informed.

"It's more of my new look," she replied quietly coming out from behind Drayce, her arms still wrapped around him.

Her hair had gotten shorter. Instead of reaching the middle of her back, it now reached her shoulders.

"It looks fine," Drayce said.

"Only because you cut it!"

"You asked me to do it for you!"

Moka and Tsukune laughed at the pair's childish antics. After all, it had been several years since they seen each other.

"We should probably have lunch on the roof today after yesterday. It didn't take long to find out about your fight with Mr. Kotsubo," Tsukune suggested.

"He's a snitch," Drayce complained. "And a sore loser! I mean, granted he now has to buy like fifty tubes of burn cream."

"He deserved it for what he tried to do," Moka replied.

"All right class. I know it's hard to settle down after yesterday's excitement but may I remind you that your paper is due in a week so use this time wisely to start planning your outline," Ms. Nekonome suggested as she walked in.

"Umm, I wasn't in class. Do any of you guys have notes?" Drayce whispered from his seat.

"Yeah. You can borrow mine. I'll share with Tsukune," Moka replied handing over her notes.

"Thanks we really appreciate it," Mizore replied.

"Alright, let's get started then," Tsukune suggested.

* * *

"I see. So the issue is resolved now."

"Yes Headmaster," Ms. Nekonome replied.

"Thank you. You may go now. Make sure to tell the rest of the faculty to keep an eye on Kotsubo," the headmaster instructed.

Ms. Nekonome nodded and backed out the room, shutting the door behind her. The headmaster picked up the student file from his desk. Flipping open the file he glanced at the information before setting it back down next to an open scroll which was glowing white, blue, and red.

"Drayce Tatsugami, just who are you?"

 **A/N: Again, challenge still stands! Try and figure out what monster Drayce is. His first and last names are both hints. Next chapter will introduce Kurumu to this story. I also saw a comment saying Drayce description is like from My Hero Academia I believe. I told myself I would watch it this summer but I still haven't started yet. Damn it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Another chapter out, another day done. Well, for me that is. I've seen some pretty good guesses as to your ideas to what Drayce is and they're pretty accurate. I will say this though, I am intentionally hiding Drayce's true powers but you may get a hint in a later chapter. If I had to say, Drayce is a puzzle. I'm dropping the pieces and all you have to do is put it together but of course I will spill the beans at some point because this story follows both manga and anime aspects. But hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

Drayce yawned and stretched as the morning sun peeking through the blinds hit his eyes, waking him up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, only to see a pair of purple ones staring at him.

"Morning Mizore," he mumbled sleepily.

He got up from his bed and just as he was about to get off the mattress, he did a double take. "Oh my god! Holy shit! How did you get in here Mizore?!" he freaked. "I do not have a shirt on right now, where is it?"

In response, Mizore clamped a hand on his mouth and pushed him back down on the bed, lying next to him. She began to trace his combat scars with her finger, sending tingles down each one of them. "I wanted to visit you so I crawled through the air vents," she replied innocently, snuggling up to him.

Drayce sighed and hugged Mizore. "Of course. How do you manage to make crawling through air vents to find me seem so casual after nearly scaring me half to death?"

"I have my ways," she replies, laying on her side to face Drayce. "I' getting hungry. What's for breakfast?"

"Mizore, it'll be a miracle if I can even get water to boil using the stove. This is why I have that lot," Drayce groaned, waving at his pantry which was stocked with crackers, bread, instant ramen, fruit, and various spreads. "I mean, we'll see what I can make."

Drayce gave Mizore a peck on the cheek before jumping out of bed to put on a white t shirt. He dragged himself to the pantry to scrounge something up to eat. "Umm, how do you feel about peanut butter and banana sandwiches?" he called out.

"Umm, I'll pass on the banana part," Mizore replied. "Just a peanut butter sandwich should do."

As Drayce miraculously manages to make the sandwiches, the couple sit together and begin to have their breakfast. Although they managed to overcome the challenge of making breakfast, the two had a bigger problem.

"Ah Mizore? How are you planning on getting out of my room without getting caught," Drayce asks as he packs the last of his books into his bag.

Mizore simply stares at him without answering. Drayce groans and throws the bag onto his back and secures it by forming an ice harness. He throws open the window and gestures for Mizore to follow.

"What are you doing? I can go back through the vents," she replies confused as she gets dragged towards the window.

"Well, you can unless you want the entire boys dorm to think there's some weird creature in there, be my guest. Hope you can keep your balance," he smirks before he leaps out the window.

Mizore gasps as she runs to the open window and looks out. She could see Drayce sliding along a path of ice he creates as he slides down towards the ground. She observes as he lands at the side of the dormitory building before gesturing for her to do the same. Grinning, she climbs out the window and slides down the same path, the wind rushing through her hair as she rapidly approached the end of the short ride. She jumps off and lands on Drayce who in turn catches her bridal style before setting her down. He thrusts out a hand and the ice slide cracks and shatters, leaving no evidence of their little escape. Drayce reaches for her hand which she gladly accepts and they begin to walk hand in hand towards the school.

The two reach the school gate well before anyone else and upon arriving, they decide to wait for Moka and Tsukune. Moka was the first to arrive, just five minutes after Drayce and Mizore. Last to arrive was Tsukune, three minutes after Moka had arrived.

"Well, I guess I'm the last one here. What class do we have?" Tsukune asked, rummaging through his bookbag.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I think we have math first period. Did you guys finish the homework?" Drayce asked.

"Yep," Moka replies. "I even managed to do the extra hard problem Ms. Ririko gave us."

"I think half my answers are wrong," Mizore mumbled, holding up her folded sheet of paper from her sweatshirt's pocket

"Mizore…" Drayce sighs as he takes the paper from his girlfriend and neatly slides it into his own bag. "You're gonna fail the test next week unless we do something."

"Which is why I was wondering if we could study together tonight," she suggested with a slight dust of red showing on her cheeks.

"Sure. I'll bring over some food-"

 **GRUMBLE**

"What was that?" Drayce asked, an ice dagger already in hand.

"Oh no. I'm sorry. I didn't have time to eat breakfast today," Moka replied slightly embarrassed. "So Tsukune, I was wondering if I could, you know…"

"Uhh…"

"Thank you!" she squealed as she jumped onto the boy, biting down on his neck and began sucking his blood.

By the time she finished, Tsukune almost tripped over his own feet from lightheadedness. He was on the verges of tears as he stumbled away, putting a hand to his neck.

"You know Moka, I think you need to dial down on how much you suck from Tsukune. Look, he can barely stand," Mizore observed.

"I know but his blood is so rich and delicious, it's so hard to resist," said girl replied sheepishly.

"But Moka, I'm not a food source. You need to find time to eat breakfast, not just sucking my blood!" Tsukune exclaimed before storming off.

"Tsukune!"

Drayce held up an arm to stop her. "The school's getting to him. Let him calm down for now but Moka, do try and limit yourself to the number of times you suck his blood. Afterall, he's more... delicate than the rest of us," Drayce suggested.

"I guess you're right," the vampire replied glumly.

* * *

" _Argh! If only Moka didn't suck my blood every time I see her. What if she hangs out with me just because of my blood? Then what will happen to me?"_ he contemplates as he walks in circles around a clearing in the forest.

"Ooooh nooo."

' _Huh? What was that just now? It sounded like someone moaning?"_ Tsukune thought as he turned behind him.

Slumped over on her hands and knees was a blue haired girl, one of her hands holding her head. Concerned for her, he runs over and kneels down next to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Tsukune asks, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"It just hit me all of a sudden, that dizzy feeling," the girl moaned. "I'm sorry, but would you be so kind to give me a helping hand?"

"Yeah sure. Let's get you the the nurse's office," Tsukune suggested as he helped the girl up before beginning their walk to the infirmary.

The walk to the office took less than five minutes, the examination even less as the nurse deemed the girl fine. Tsukune and the girl begin to walk back to their class.

"Thank you so much for helping me. You're so sweet Tsukune," the girl thanked.

"Yeah, no problem. It was the right thing to do," Tsukune replied. "Wait a sec, how do you know my name? I never told you?"

The girl blinked and began to smile. "We are in the same class together Tsukune. My name it Kurumu Kurono."

"Huh, now that I think about it," Tsukune pondered. " _She is pretty cute, although she is a monster too."_

Kurumu began to laugh before falling into Tsukune's arms again. Tsukune caught her quickly and helped support her, but she kept slumping against him.

"Woah there, take it easy," Tsukune advised. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. I was weak ever since I was born. You see, my chest just feels so tight like they're about to burst," Kurumu lied as she began pushing her chest onto Tsukune.

" _Don't look, don't look, don't look,"_ Tsukune thought as he squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing what to do.

"Tsukune, look at my eyes. I want to be your friend," Kurumu said as she gazed at Tsukune waves of energy pouring from her gaze. She could see Tsukune's eyelids become heavy as he fell under her spell. Tsukune's zombie like look began to morph into one of warmth and happiness. He threw his arms around Kurumu and began to hug her while she laughed in delight.

" _This is really weird! Why is my body moving on its own?"_ Tsukune thought.

"Tsukune, who's that with you?"

Both Kurumu and Tsukune stopped and turned around to see Moka standing behind them, the confusion clearly present on her face.

"Aren't we in the same class, Tsukune?" Kurumu asked sweetly, placing a hand lovingly on the boy's chest as Tsukune nodded. "Come on Tsukune, class is about to start!"

"Tsukune, wait!" Moka protested.

"No, I won't. All you do is treat me like I'm your breakfast," Tsukune retorted. " _No wait! Why am I saying these things!"_

"That's so mean. Let's go before she begins to eat you," Kurumu replied, turning around to shoot a mocking grin at the vampire behind them. " _One down, one left."_

* * *

Ms. Nekenome, as always, gave interesting lessons but most of them were cat related which tended to tune most students out. One such student would usually be Tsukune but today, something else was on his mind.

" _Why did I say those mean things to Moka back there. I should really apologize to her after class. Yeah, I'll do that,"_ Tsukune decided.

Next to him, Moka was giving Kurumu cold looks while Kurumu simply smirked and grinned. The tension was so high, one would've thought that they were shooting electricity out of their eyes. Drayce, sitting behind Tsukune noticed this. He sighed as his eyes constantly flicked between the two girls, observing their silent battle. This manner went on for the rest of the period before the bell finally rang, breaking the tension. Drayce leaned back from his seat and sighed, stretching out his arms.

"Drayce, what's wrong?" Mizore asked as she got up from her own seat to hug Drayce.

"Please don't take this the wrong way but I have a bad feeling about Moka and that girl next to her," Drayce sighed.

"Girl troubles. They can't get over Tsukune," Mizore explained.

"Wait, you know?"

"Of course honey. I see lots of things," Mizore replied.

Drayce frowned and looked at the door. More and more students were crowding around the vicinity. He tapped Mizore's shoulder and nodded at the commotion. The snow woman nodded and the two began to make their way to the scene.

"I came here to declare war with you because you and your friends are in the way of master plan, to make all the boys at this school fall in love with me," Kurumu declared. "This is Kurumu the succubus's fail proof plan! But all the guy's started falling for you, so I'm going to steal all your friends from you!"

"Ah! Moka, I found you! There's something I need to tell you!" Tsukune exclaimed, running up behind her but as soon as he got close, Kurumu jumped onto him.

"Love charm."

The familiar waves of energy began rolling from Kurumu's eyes, once again putting the boy under her spell. "Oh, I also noticed that you smell really good, Tsukune. Like a h-"

"That's enough!"

Drayce pushed his way to the front, his eyes stormy. His clenched fists relaxed as he confronted the girl.

"Hmm, Drayce Tatsugami. Just the boy I was looking for," Kurumu replied. "Love charm."

Mizore began to surge forward but a hand from Drayce stopped it. Drayce narrowed his eye as a single fracture appeared on his icy mask. A burst of energy suddenly started flowing through his body, as if a dam holding it back had broke. His eye narrowed to a slit as he projected his own monster energy outwards, meeting Kurumu's. Kurumu's expression changed to a one of shock as she pushed herself more, increasing the power of her charm. Another snap sounded as another fracture appeared on Drayce's mask, fueling his energy burst.

" _How is he doing this?! How is he resisting my charm?!"_ Kurumu thought panicked as her charm cut off being overpowered by Drayce's own monster energy.

She watched as the cracks frosted over, cutting off his flow of power. The succubus grit her teeth as she stared down Drayce.

"Hmph, let's go Tsukune. They're no fun," Kurumu announced as she turned and stormed off with Tsukune mindlessly following behind her.

As the crowd dispersed, Drayce turned his attention back to Mizore and Moka. Mizore immediately reached out and began to twist and pull his ear.

"You worry me you know?! What if you had fallen for that love trap of hers?! You're lucky you didn't fall for it!" Mizore scolded.

" _ **But he didn't. You're very lucky to have such a powerful friend."**_

"Huh? Who said that?" Moka wondered looking around.

" _ **It's the inner me. I can use the rosary you wear as a medium to communicate with you,"**_ Inner Moka explained. " _ **Drayce wouldn't have intervened unless he knew he could resist the succubus's charm."**_

"So you knew?!" Mizore exclaimed.

"Who knows?" Drayce replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But I suggest you find and help Tsukune. When a succubus kisses a man, they will become their love slave."

"What?!" Moka exclaimed in shock.

" _ **He's right. You better find Tsukune fast before that happens,"**_ Inner Moka agreed before silencing.

* * *

" _Argh! It's so frustrating! Just when I thought I could pull it off and steal both of Moka's friends, he's the one person to ruin it!"_ Kurumu internally rants angrily as she pounds the infirmary bed with her tail and fists.

" _Why? Why is this happening to me? Why did I say all of those mean thing to Moka when I shouldn't have? I need to go and apologize right away,"_ Tsukune thought as he stood up from his chair.

This did not go unnoticed by Kurumu as she immediately stops her tantrum and looks up at Tsukune. "Tsukune, where are you going?"

"I'm sorry Kurumu, but I have to apologize to Moka! I can't just not apologize to her after all the things I've said to her!" Tsukune protests before turning to leave.

"Wait Tsukune!" Kurumu exclaims as she jumps up and pulls the boy back to push him on the bed. "Stay still, Tsukune. I'm extremely nervous. You're the first one I would try this ability on so please, don't run."

She gazes deep into Tsukune's eyes, unleashing her charm once again to captivate the shocked and equally as nervous school boy. He watched as Kurumu leaned closer and closer to him, unable to move a single muscle. Suddenly he sat straight up, pulling Kurumu past him.

"Ow Tsukune!" Kurumu cried. "Not so rough, okay? Please, be gentle!"

"I can't do this. It's just that I've said such terrible things to Moka that I-"

"Why can't you just forget about her?! After all I've done to seduce you and make you mine!" Kurumu shouts angrily as she shoves Tsukune off of her. "I had enough! I'm going to destroy everything related to that girl!"

Tsukune watches in horror as wings sprouted from the back of the girl. Kurumu jumps of the bed and flaps her wings, flying straight at Tsukune. Just then the door slams open and Moka appears. She charges into the room and shoves the monster out the wind with such force, the glass breaks and Kurumu is sent flying.

"Tsukune run, now!" Moka exclaims.

"Kurumu is a succubus! She can enslave any male with just a gaze of her eye! Run while you can, we'll distract her!" Drayce shouts as he charges into the room to look out the window.

A maniacal laughter sounds outside as Kurumu flies straight back to the infirmary window. Her tail shoots straight past Drayce and grabs onto Tsukune's neck, dragging him out the window but not before Moka grabs on. As Kurumu drags the two out of the room, a blast of icy wind hits her.

"You should know better than to fly when it's snowing!" Mizore shouts as she freezes the succubus's wings.

As Kurumu loses her ability to fly, she along with her passengers crash to the ground. Drayce immediately gives chase, jumping out the window and sliding down on an ice slide which Mizore conjures up.

"Mizore, let's go! We need to help them!" Drayce shouts as he and his girlfriend jump into the fray.

"How dare you freeze my wings!" Kurumu screeches as she takes off into the air once more. She blows by her two challenger and slashes at them with her now elongated nails. Drayce immediately tackles Mizore to the ground as the succubus's nail slice through the nearby trees as easy as butter.

Mizore, stay out of this one! I can't risk you getting hurt!" Drayce yells as he gets back up to engage Kurumu.

He jumps up into the air to challenge his opponent but Kurumu simply laughs and slices at Drayce. As the succubus flies by, she feels her nails cut through something solid. She turns to see Drayce's body cover in ice, sliced to multiple pieces. The pieces fall to the ground and shatters to pieces right before Tsukune and Moka's eyes but as soon as they do, the pieces wiggle and new ice begin to form and take the shape of Drayce. The ice cracks and shatters revealing his real body underneath.

" _Damn it, she's fast! I barely dodged that last attack! I don't have enough strength to beat her in my piss poor weakened state right now! But even so if I weaken the mask for a few seconds of power, will it be worth the future consequences?"_ Drayce thinks as he forms two new ice blades.

"Tsukune! You have to take my rosary off! It's the only way to beat her!" Moka shouts as Drayce continues to engage the succubus, parrying and attacking to distract her from the two on the ground.

"Alright, I'm doing it!" Tsukune shouts as he pulls on the rosary but to his dismay, it stays put. "What?! Why isn't it coming off?! It did last time!"

A gigantic crash sounds as Kurumu sends Drayce flying through the trees and slams him into one. Mizore immediately jumps from her spot and runs to help Drayce. With her adversary down, she turns her attention to Moka and Tsukune.

"Finally, I guess I'll kill the both of you!" she yells as she swoops down.

"No! Kill me instead but spare Tsukune!" Moka pleads as she hugs Tsukune.

"Still trying to protect your food are you?" Kurumu shouts.

"No!" Moka shouts back. "I'm protecting him because I don't want to lose him! He was my first friend ever!"

"So how can I be a burden to her?!" Tsukune burst out as he pulls on the rosary. The seal gives way as it is pulled off from Moka. Red light washes over everything as Moka begins to transform into her real self.

"That aura! It's even stronger than Drayce's!" Kurumu gasps as she watched in shock at the transformation. "But vampire or not, I'm here to save my race from extinction by finding my Chosen One and you, Moka, are keeping me from that goal!"

"Hah! You're too slow!" Moka exclaims as she evades all of Kurumu's attacks. "Time to show you the difference in our power!"

Moka grabs Kurumu's tail and throws her into the air, only to be kicked into a large tree. The impact stuns Kurumu as she still tries to fathom what had just taken place. Moka walks up to the stunned succubus and looks down with a look of unpleasantness.

"I suppose I'll break your tail and wings so you won't ever fly again," she says menacingly.

"Moka wait!" Tsukune shouts as he runs up in front of the vampire.

"No, please! I'm sorry, anything but that!" Kurumu cowers.

"I think that's enough. She's learned her lesson."

A hand grabs Moka's shoulder holding her back. She wheels around to see Drayce leaning on Mizore for support and her glare lessens.

"Oh. You used to be stronger," she says with a small smile as she takes the rosary from Tsukune.

"Well, it was bound to happen," Drayce replies back, returning the smile except pained from his injuries.

"Tsukune, I protect you because of your blood. The other me is more sentimental," Moka clarifies before reattaching her seal. Moka falls forward, only to be caught by Tsukune.

"Well, I hope everyone has settled their differences now," Mizore say, a small smile gracing her feature. "And we need to get you to the nurse."

"Yeah, I feel like I hit a tree or someth- Oh, wait…"

* * *

"How are you feeling Drayce?" Moka asked.

"Still slightly sore but a lot better than yesterday," Drayce replies as he hugs Mizore closer to him. "It was nothing serious."

"Well, I'm glad about that," Tsukune grinned.

"Hey guys!" Kurumu shouts, running up from behind them.

"Oh hey Kurumu," Mizore greets. "You settled your differences?"

"Yep and i decided that if Tsukune is to be my Chosen One, I'm going to have to win him fair and square!" she declared.

"No way! Tsukune's mine!" Moka replies defensively.

"No mine!"

"Mine!"

"Ah geez. Thank god, I don't have girls arguing over me like that," Drayce sighs as he watches the two girls tug on Tsukune's arms while his face read "help me". "I'm just glad to have you."

Mizore blushes and Drayce kisses her on the forehead. "Well, something new happens everyday," Mizore replies, resting her head on Drayce's shoulder.

"It sure does."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Man, these chapters are getting long! Hope you all don't mind though. Oh by the way, even though it's only like the third week of school, I'm already working till like 11 at night so there might be larger gaps between updates. The only real time I have to work on this story is on the CalTrain to my school. Thank god for offline google docs. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Drayce lunged forward with his ice katana and slashed, only to be blocked by an ice wall. The wall exploded, forcing him to retreat. Mizore leaped forward, claws of ice around her hands. Drayce rolled to avoid the strike before sending a rapid fire of hail towards her. She leaped to the side to avoid the attack but Drayce was too fast, catching up to her in the blink of an eye. Before she knew what happened, Drayce was already pressing the ice katana to her throat.

"Damn it," Mizore sighed as her boyfriend's sword shattered and melted away.

"Don't beat yourself over it. You're getting a lot better and besides, you almost had me several times," Drayce replied, helping Mizore up. "You good?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

Mizore dusted herself off before catching the bottle of water Drayce threw in her direction. Opening it, she took a long drink from the icy cold water. She had asked Drayce to help her with her hand to hand combat skills with ice, seeing as Drayce was more proficient in the job to help her than Moka, Kurumu, or Tsukune. Since then, the pair had been practicing to help hone and refine Mizore's ability on the battlefield if it were ever required.

"How'd you think you did on the test?" Drayce asked.

"I don't know, but I think the test scores should be up by now. Still can't believe we have exams and finals at this school," Mizore replied.

"I mean, besides the fact that we're monsters, almost everything is identical to a human school. How about we go and see those test score huh? I don't think you did that bad," Drayce smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so. Just hoping that I passed," Mizore mumbled as she pulled her sweatshirt back on.

Drayce slipped back into his own black trench coat before beginning to walk towards the school grounds with Mizore.

"Have you told your mother yet?" Drayce asked.

"No. I hadn't really had the time to tell her yet. I bet she's still expecting me to find someone before I turn seventeen," Mizore replied. "She still want grandchildren."

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait for two more years then, until we're adults. You'll still have time," Drayce replied pointedly.

"Yeah, but I guess she's just getting anxious. Doesn't want to lose anybody else. You meant a lot to mom. She lost it when she found out four years ago," Mizore shrugged.

"You can't blame her. She considered me her son."

"Do you consider her to be your mother than?"

"She was like one to me. Of course, I haven't got anyone to turn to when I found out mom and dad got killed. She took care of me," Drayce responded fondly.

"We still have your room the way you left it. She still refuses to let anyone to touch it. Your old mask is still in there even though it's broken. She considers it one of her prized possessions but still hasn't fixed it even today," Mizore continued.

"I was foolish. What did I know about my powers?" Drayce asked. "The snow priestess had to help me create a new one mask. I could've killed all of you that day."

"Is she still the only one who knows?" Mizore questioned as they walked through the school gates.

Drayce went silent, as if pondering his next words. "Of course she knows. Maybe I'll tell you someday."

Mizore frowned. Something was off, but she couldn't exactly place her finger on what it was. She shrugged off the feeling of uneasiness before turning her attention to the crowd of people massed at the bulletin board. Both Drayce and Mizore worked their way to the front of the crowd, scanning the board for their names.

"You got 130th, only two behind Tsukune. See? You weren't too bad," Drayce assured.

"Yeah, but nowhere near as good as you. See for yourself," Mizore replied. "You got ranked 21st."

"I mean, Moka does make us look bad in comparison. She got ranked 13th!" Drayce exclaimed.

"Hey guys!"

Both Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu sidled up next to the couple to join them. "You guys did good! I mean geez, I ranked 128th!"

"We all tried our best! We should all have a gigantic studying session!" Moka exclaimed.

"That's a great idea! Tsukune, would you help tutor me pleeeease?" Kurumu begged.

"Well, considering Moka and Drayce ranked higher than us you might want to ask them," Tsukune replied sheepishly.

"Don't even think about it. Drayce is mine," Mizore said fiercely as she hugged her boyfriend around the middle.

"Come on, guys! How about we settle this later? I mean afterall, we should learn from Moka because she got the best score out of all of us," Tsukune proposed.

"I'll be glad to help! In return, let me suck your blood Tsukune!" Moka exclaimed.

"WAAH?!"

"Hey! Stop that!" Kurumu shouted before tugging Tsukune away from Moka.

From a distance, a small girl wearing a pointed hat watched the group. She watched as Moka and Kurumu tugged on either of Tsukune's arm while Drayce and Mizore were doubled up with laughter.

"Huh, congratulations Yukari Sendou. You placed 1st again, as expected from a girl genius like you. Even though you're only 11 years old, I guess you didn't skip to high school for nothing."

The little girl turned around to see three hulking boys from her class. Their faces bore the look of scorn and disgust. "But you shouldn't get all high and mighty you know? To me, you're still a stinking piece of shit."

"Class representative?" Yukari said surprised.

"What's with your getup anyways? It completely violates the dress code and I hate people who stick out," the older boy snarled as he pushed Yukari away as the two cronies by his side snickered and glared. "Your very existence disgusts me!"

"Hey look, it's that girl. She's getting bullied by the class representative again. But then again, by the way she dresses…" nearby students mutter.

"Your true for is a witch isn't it? Half human! You being in the same grade as me makes me want to puke!" the boy continued.

Yukari's eyes narrow in anger at the statement. Behind the class representative, a rock levitates and smashes itself onto the back of the boy's head.

"Hah! You deserved that!" Yukari exclaimed in delight.

"Why you little brat! What did you do to me?!" he roared as he lunged towards Yukari but before he could hit her, Moka stood in front of the witch, protecting her.

"I'm sorry, I know I don't have any business in this but I just can't let this slide! Stop using violence towards her!" Moka exclaimed protectively.

"Move aside!" the monster snarled, his rage bubbling.

"Take a hint will you, prick?" Drayce asked as he walked up behind the representative. "Just go man."

" _Great. Now there are too many people here,"_ the teen thought as he looked around. "You better remember this little meeting Yukari. Come on boys, let's go."

* * *

"Moka! You sure did save me back there! My name is Yukari Sendou!" Yukari squealed to the gang at the outside tables.

"Oh, it was nothing! Drayce helped too!" Moka replied.

"I heard you're in the same grade as us even though you're only eleven," Mizore said. "You even placed first on the test. I barely passed."

"Yeah! Your outfit is pretty cute. It suits you!" Kurumu complemented.

"Well... Cool isn't really…" Yukari stuttered, feeling flattered. "I mean, the pretty and cool one here is Moka! It's just that…"

"Just what Yukari?" Moka asked.

"I really love you!" the tiny witch exclaimed. "Everyday when I looked at you from the classroom across the hall, I fell a bit more in love but when you saved me, I made up my mind! So please go out with me!"

"Umm...as a friend?" Moka replied unsure.

"Yaaaaay! I'm really happy!" Yukari squealed. "Come one Moka! Let's go to class!"

"O-okay Yukari. But do you think you can let go?" Moka asked as she dragged Yukari along.

"Nope!"

Drayce was doing his best trying to stifle his laughter, as was Mizore after looking at the expression on Tsukune's face. Even Kurumu couldn't help but laugh. Tsukune groaned and began to sulk towards the school building after Moka and Yukari with the rest of his friends next to him along the way.

When Tsukune finally caught up, he nearly died from shock. "Wha-What the hell are you girls doing?!" he asked shocked.

"Wow! Moka's chest is even bigger than it looks!" Yukari said, holding and squeezing Moka's chest.

"Uhh, Yukari. Don't you think that's a bit much?" Drayce asked, trying not to look.

"She only does that because she doesn't have any," Kurumu replied.

"Drayce! Are mine's good enough?" Mizore suddenly asked, seizing Drayce's hand and bringing it up to her chest.

"Mizore, you know I only have eyes for you. And uh, can you let go of my hand?" Drayce asked nervously.

"Why?"

"Well, we're at school and this is kind of awkward," Drayce whispered, slightly embarrassed by the act.

"Gotta keep my man in check," Mizore announced before letting go.

"Tsukune!"

The boy turned to face Yukari who had now let go of Moka. She had her wand in hand and was pointing it directly at him.

"You're an average person! Average in knowledge, average in looks, average in strength, just like a human! My job is to keep people like you away from Moka!" Yukari announced.

"Wait a sec, hold up. Tsukune is Moka's friend too. You can't just tell him to stay away," Drayce frowned.

"Hmph! Who cares?! Magic wand!" Yukari declared, waving her wand in the air.

Clattering sounds filled the air as brooms, brushes, buckets, mops, wash tubs, and an array of other cleaning tools burst through the closet door and began to charge straight at Drayce and Tsukune. Drayce simply rolled his eyes as half the cleaning tools began to batter and chase Tsukune away while the other half tried to batter him, although to no avail. The tools passed harmlessly through his body as he transformed into flames.

"Why can't I hit you?" Yukari whined. "No fair!"

Drayce sighed and thrusted out a hand, immediately freezing the assaulting tools and shattering them. "Sorry Yukari, don't feel like getting a beating today. Kurumu, you should probably go and check on Tsukune and see if he's alright."

"Might be for the best," The succubus agreed and jogged off to find the boy.

"Yukari, you didn't need to do that. Honest! I appreciate the gesture but I really feel that-" Moka began before getting interrupted by the eleven year old.

"No, he had it coming," Yukari declared before marching off.

* * *

"She really got you, didn't she?" Kurumu asked as she applied another piece of gauze onto Tsukune's cheek.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I just wish that Yukari knew that it isn't okay to do that sort of stuff," Tsukune replied. "Ouch!"

"So from what I've heard, she some kind of genius but she acts really bratty and immature all the time," Kurumu explained as she pushed Tsukune down on the bed, crawling towards him. "It must be really annoying, isn't it?"

"Uhh yeah," Tsukune replied nervously as Kurumu got closer and closer. "Wait wha-?!"

Tsukune's hand automatically curled into a fist and he punched himself in the face several time. Kurumu simply stared at the boy's strange behaviour before his hands landed on her breasts, squeezing them.

"Ahh! Oh god," Tsukune exclaimed, just about as embarrassed as one could get. "Kurumu, I'm sorry! I swear, I don't have any control of what I'm doing!"

The door to the infirmary slid open and Moka walked in, staring at the awkward scene. Kurumu immediately stood up and held her hands up in defense but as she did, Tsukune slid off the bed and onto the ground. His hands slipped and grabbed another fabric, pulling it down as he fell. Groaning in pain, he opened his eyes to see a pair of stripped underwear around Kurumu's feet in his hands. He immediately recoiled in shock and embarrassment.

"Moka I swear I wasn't-" he began desperately.

"Tsukune, save it! I don't want to hear it!" Moka shouted.

"Yay! I did it!"

"Huh?" Tsukune turned towards the window and his anger began to grow. The pointy tip of a witch's hat was just visible as it shook from the laughing fits of the owner. Tsukune rushed to the window and glared at the suspect. Yukari immediately stopped her laughing and fled.

"Come back here! I'm not done with you!" Tsukune shouted angrily as he exited the room to give chase to the girl.

"Tsukune, please, let's just calm down for a second," Moka cried out as she blocked the boy's path.

"You're too easy on her Moka! Even though she's just a little girl, she can't just go around and pull these sort of pranks all day during school!" Tsukune argued. "She's got to know that she's annoying everyone else and besides, it'll be for her own sake as well!"

"I mean...I guess," Moka replied, sounding defeated.

" _Me...a bother to Moka?"_ Yukari thought, a look of realization dawning on her face.

"Even if she only hangs out with you, she'll lose all her friends and be all by herself," Tsukune continued.

"I don't mind." Yukari let go of Moka and stepped back. "I am a genius after all! I didn't want such incapable friends! Besides, I've alway been alone from the start!"

Moka and Tsukune turned to face the witch, a look of shame crossing Tsukune's face. It was almost enough to make him feel sorry for her. Almost. A golden wash tub dropped onto Tsukune's head unexpectedly and Tsukune reacted as such.

"Hah! I gotcha!" she squealed.

"Oh my lo- You little-" Tsukune fumed, trying to find the right words as he watch Yukari run off.

"Tsukune! You can't get angry with a little girl," Moka cried.

"Why are you mad at me? She's the one who dropped that wash tub on me!"

Yukari continued to run through the school, the voices in her mind tormenting her each step of the way, the sounds of disgust and mockery ringing in her ears. As she continued, she neglected to even see where she was going. Moments later, she slammed head first into someone and fell to the ground.

"Ouch! That hurt you jerk! Watch where you're going!" she cried as she rubbed her head.

"Actually Yukari, it was you who ran into us, so I believe it should be you who should be apologizing," hissed a familiar voice.

Yukari looked up to see the all too familiar leering face of her jerk of a class representative staring her down. "Remember this morning when you disgraced me in front of that crowd? I'll never forget that moment and I've been waiting to get back at you all day!" the upperclassman hissed as he began to reveal his monster form.

* * *

"Can't you just forget about her Moka? Even after she made me suffer so much, why do you take her side?" Tsukune asked, rubbing his head.

"It's not just because she's a child Tsukune! Why can't you understand her feelings and feel sorry for her?" Moka asked before running away to find Yukari.

"Won't say this to Moka but I kind of agree with you," Drayce replied. "But it doesn't mean that she deserves it man."

"Easy for you to say! You can turn into fire!" Tsukune retorted.

"Tsukune, Drayce does have a point," Kurumu replied. "She is a witch afterall and being one of the hated races, it's just-"

"Hated races?" Tsukune asked confused.

"Tsukune, oh man, where do I begin? Well, witches aren't exactly fully fledged monsters, they're half human too. They're hated by most monster because they couldn't stand the thought of monsters and humans being one. Humans also feared them because of their supernatural power and even burned them if they were caught," Drayce explained.

"So being a human with supernatural powers, witches aren't exactly one or the other and are discriminated because of that," Mizore finished. "So she might have been alone her entire life because of that."

"So that's how Yukari feels. And to think the way I treated her," Tsukune mumbled guiltily.

* * *

Yukari was pushed down onto the ground, her back hitting the tree trunk. "You witches are so disgusting! I would be doing this academy a favor by ridding this place of you!" the lizard man hissed.

In retaliation, Yukari lashed out with her wand, only for it to be bitten and yanked away by the lizard man's jaws. "What to do with her?"

"Hey, how bout we eat her? The fog's so thick, no one will know," one of the lizard men proposed.

The lead reptile crunched down on the wand in his mouth breaking it. "Good idea. It'll wash out the taste of that nasty stick that she had."

"STOP!" The shout rang out through the scene as Moka skidded to a stop behind the lizard men. "Get your hands off Yukari now!"

"Damn it. It's you again, Moka Akashiya. You caught us at an inconvenient time," the leader snarled.

"Moka, run! Leave me here and run! I can take care of them, don't worry about me," Yukari shouted.

"Yukari, you don't have to bite off more than you can chew. If you need help, you can always ask us," Moka said kindly. "You say you love me but all you really want is someone who is caring and compassionate."

"You play your pranks because you want others to notice you," Drayce chimed in from the top of the tree Moka was standing next to.

"What are you guys talking about?!" Yukari shouted. "Just get out of here!"

"Yukari, please. It may not seem like it but we all understand," Mizore rebutted. "Drayce lost his parents when he was a kid, Moka didn't have any friends until she met us, and I thought Drayce was dead for four years. We all know what it's like to feel alone with no one to turn to."

"What the hell are you all going on about?!" the lizard man roared as he surged forward. "What are we? Chopped liver?!"

Desperate to stop him, Yukari sunk her teeth into the older monster's arm. In pain and filled with disgust, the more powerful monster yanked back his arm and brought down a clawed hand to strike at Yukari.

"Watch out!"

Out of nowhere, Yukari was tackled backwards and out of range from the strike. Instead, the strike hit tsukune directly on the back, drawing out blood instantly. Yukari's eyes widened at the sight of the older boy taking the hit for her.

"Tsukune! Why are you here?" Yukari asked, surprised by the boy's appearance.

"I wanted to say sorry about earlier. If I had just understood you better Yukari. So please, let me help you too," Tsukune winced as blood continued to drip from his wound.

"Tsukune!"

"Moka, go! We can clear a path for you! Kurumu, now!" Drayce yelled as ice formed around his body like armor with four blazing claws of fire in each hand. "Hey Mizore, that training would come in use right about now huh?"

"Sure will!"

"Hey! Stop talking and let's kick some ass!" Kurumu yelled as she dived bombed one of the lizard men, nails extended. Drayce and Mizore dashed forward, taking on their own opponent, leaving Moka a cleared path to get to Tsukune. Taking the chance, the vampire ran forward, hand extended to reach for Tsukune's hand.

"Moka, your right!" Drayce shouted as he kicked his opponent into the tree, knocking him unconscious.

Moka turned to see the gaping jaws of a lizard man coming straight at her. By instinct, she ducked and lunged towards Tsukune. As she did, the boy's hand caught on the rosary seal and was pulled off. A burst of red light emanated from the girl as she began to transform, for her inner vampire was now unleashed.

"Wha- The heck is this glowing light?!" the class representative roared.

"Boss! The silver hair! The blood red eyes!" his cronies blundered. "It's a vampire!"

Faster than the eye could track, Moka kicked the remaining two cronies away. " _She took out my friends in seconds! Damn vampire! Where is she?!"_ the leader thought, looking around, only to have his teeth bashed in from another one of Moka's superpowered kicks. The lizard man went flying as he was smashed headfirst into the pond, knocking him out of the fight.

"Hmph, weaklings not even worth the challenge," Moka sighed as she brushed away her silver hair. "The only power you garbage have at all are over weaker monsters!"

"Tsukune, you're wounded," Drayce said urgently as he knelt next to his friend.

Reaching into the inner pocket of his trench coat, he pulled out a small vial of glowing white liquid. Forming an ice knife, he cut away at the school jacket before pulling the stopper to the vial and pouring the contents onto the wound. Tsukune flinched and sucked his breath in pain as the wound on his back stung like hell.

"I know, it stings right? But at least you seem to be fine now," Drayce said relieved as he looked at the steaming wound which was now closing and healing on its own. "Since it's so easy for me to get, I always carry a vial of it in case of an emergency."

"Why? After all the mean and horrible things I did. Why did you still come for me?" Yukari finally asked as things calmed down.

"Because you aren't alone anymore so from now on, let's try to be friends," Tsukune replied smiling as he stood up, offering a hand to Yukari.

* * *

"Did you hear? Yukari's totally changed," Kurumu remarked.

"Oh? How so?" Moka asked as she placed down the cardboard box she was carrying.

"She cleaned up her whole act and even got in front of the entire classroom to apologize. People eventually began to feel bad for all the things they said to her and little by little, she began to open up," Kurumu replied.

"Really? Yukari's growing up!" Moka exclaimed happily.

"Tsukune! I love you!" Yukari shouted as she hugged the boy around the middle.

"I feeling this is gonna be a repeat of yesterday," Drayce whispered to Mizore as they watched the scene unfold.

"Wha?"

"It's just that since you saved me yesterday, I fell in love with you too!" Yukari explained joyfully. "But anyways, let's get all lovey dovey!"

Somehow I think this may turn out worse for Tsukune," Mizore observed.

"You might be right," Drayce replied as he watched the witch chase around Moka and Tsukune. "Yeah, actually you are right."

"I know I am."

 **IMPORTANT Side Note: If you're wondering, I'm following the anime timeline for season one and then taking it off manga based from there. The only reason I stick to anime is because some of their adventures get repetitive and add no real lore to the story. The anime progresses, in my opinion, much better for the first season. Also, depending on what you guys think, I'm gonna skip the choosing clubs episode with the pool and the mermaids because at this point, the entire gang is assembled and joining the swimming club would be so stupid because something is seriously wrong if nobody mentions that vampires are weak to water. Also, Mizore and Drayce can both freeze the water making it anticlimactic so there is a very high chance that i'm going to have them join the Newspaper club and introduce Gin right off the bat just to progress the story and not do something nonsensical but let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Chapter 5! So I ended up deciding to put in the clubs fair scene, but ultimately did have them join the newspaper club but not without giving a nod towards the swimming club so at least it was considered as an option. Hope you guys are okay with how it is, I wouldn't know. I'm not you, I'm me. This chapter also gives a tiny nod towards Drayce and it's fairly obvious but like I said in chapter 3, he's a puzzle. It's up to you as the reader to build Drayce how you think he is as a character with the hint's I'm giving. Anyways, enjoy!**

"Hmm. What else is on the list today?" Ms. Nekonome asked as she turned to her lesson plan. "Ah yes! Because our aim is to adapt to human society, all of you will be starting club activities today!"

Drayce jolted awake at the statement, his hand hitting the table with a loud thud. Ms. Nekonome leaned over and adjusted her glasses to see what happened. "Drayce, is there something wrong?"

"Ahh, no. I was picking up my pencil and I accidentally whacked my hand on the desk too hard," Drayce libbed.

"Ok then. As I was saying you all will be taking part in clubs activities. You all will be getting a deeper understanding of humans if you partake in the clubs made by them because in order to master our transformation, we need to flawlessly understand them!" Ms. Nekonome explained.

"Uh teacher?"

"Yes?"

"If that's the case, wouldn't you get an F in transformation?" a student laughed, pointing to her exposed tail.

"Umm, never mind that!" Ms. Nekonome replied, slightly embarrassed as she hid her tail from sight. "But everyone here will participate in club activities! That's all for today class!"

The bell rang thrice, signaling the end classes. Drayce rubbed his eyes sleepily as he looked around. Yukari had already run from across the hall and into their room.

"Hey guys! Who fell asleep this time?" Yukari asked gleefully.

"Just Drayce, but he woke up five minutes before class ended. He did some quick thinking and managed to avoid getting caught," Kurumu replied.

"Hey. You would to if you were constantly fighting with Mizore," he grumbled before turning over.

"Huh? What happened between you two?" Moka asked concerned.

"Nothing, we're fine. I think he's still tired from teaching me hand to hand combat," Mizore replied. "Do you need a nap? You can come to my room."

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, I kinda wanna go and check out the club activities. They should be done setting up by now. They were getting ready for it all day," Drayce proposed, standing up.

"Yeah! That sounds like a good idea!" Tsukune nodded. "Are we all in agreement?"

"Yep!"

"Sure are!"

"All right! We should get there before it gets to crowded," Kurumu suggested.

The group grabbed their bags and ran out of the class and out the front doors. The sounds of chatting voices and shouts of club promotion filled the air as they stepped into the club fair. The area was jam packed full of students and the group began to make their way through each stand.

"None of these seem like a good choice," Kurumu noted as they walked.

"Yeah, some of them are pretty wierd," Drayce agreed.

"We could join the swimming cl-"

 **BANG**

"Ow!" Tsukune groaned a he rubbed the spot on his head which Drayce hit.

"No. We are not joining the swimming club. Unless it's something we can all participate in, then it's off the list," Drayce said firmly.

"Come on! Don't tell me you don't know how to swim," Tsukune replied.

"I can swim. It's Moka, Tsukune. Vampires are weak towards water for it's purifying powers," Drayce explained.

"Oh man. I'm sorry Moka, I didn't know," Tsukune apologize sadly.

"No, it's okay," Moka replied, greatly relieved by the aspect of not having to join the club.

"Well, we looked everywhere else. All of them just seem to weird," Mizore commented.

"You know, we could ask Ms. Nekonome if there are any other choices," Tsukune proposed.

"I guess that works. I mean, even if there aren't, we could join the photography club which seems more normal than the rest," Yukari agreed.

"What do you mean normal?! They're creepy as hell!" Kurumu protested.

"Well, if you think the rest of the clubs aren't a good fit, you can join the newspaper club!"

The group turn to see Ms. Nekonome walk towards them.

"Newspaper club?" Tsukune asked.

"Yeah! We write the school newspaper and update the school about what's new and happening. Well, currently we only have one member but if you join, we could make it work," Ms. Nekonome explained.

"Seems like the one club that's fairly normal. I'll join. Why not?" Drayce laughed.

"I'll join too!"

"Count me in!"

"Sounds good!"

"Yay! Now we have seven members!" Ms. Nekonome squealed. "Our meeting room is in our home room. I trust you all can find it?"

The group nodded in response.

"Good! Our first meeting starts at 4:00 tomorrow. I have to run to a teacher's meeting now. Have fun!" Ms. Nekonome called out as she hopped away.

* * *

"Damn it!"

The gang turned to see Drayce burst through the door, out of breath and panting. "Sorry I'm late."

"What happened? You were literally behind us from math," Kurumu asked annoyed.

"He just has a terrible sense of direction at times," Mizore answered, popping up behind him, dragging the boy into the classroom. "He will literally get lost without someone reading a map for him. I found him near the home economics classroom."

"Dude, we've been here for this long and you still don't know where our classrooms are?" Tsukune asked incredulously. "Remind me to never ask you to take the lead when we go anywhere ever."

"Sorry I'm late!" The door once again slides open but the student was blocked from view by the bouquets of flowers in their hands. Shifting their head away from the flowers, he gave a charming smile.

"Always nice to have new members in the club. Ms. Nekonome told me there we would have six new members but I didn't know how many of you ladies there were so I bought three," the boy said sheepishly as he handed a bouquet to Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari before bowing in apology to Mizore. "Sorry about that. But I guess you already have someone to call yours, huh?"

Mizore nodded, curling her arm around Drayce's. "Yeah, but it's fine. Really, it is."

"Okay! Anyways, my name is Ginei Morioka but you all can call me Gin! I'm the current newspaper club president and the only current second year student here, which should be obvious," Gin laughed.

" _Why do am I getting the feeling that I can't trust him?"_ Drayce thought as he continued to listen to Gin ramble.

"If you want to join the newspaper club, well, you better prepare yourselves! This isn't just some cruising time to hang out and play around." the sophomore declared passionately. "Here, we do whatever it takes it get the scoop for the school paper! Even if it means that we may be in dangerous situations! But for now, we need to start setting up! The materials are in the closet outside so I'll need someone to help me get them while the others set up the posters!"

"I'll go get the materials with Mizore," Drayce said, his tone a tiny bit colder than he meant before sweeping out the room with Mizore behind him.

He walked swiftly towards the closet with Mizore falling in stride next to him. "Drayce, is there something wrong?"

The boy stopped in his tracks and turned to face Mizore. "I just...I don't trust Gin. Something about him is off but I don't really know what it is about him."

"I'm sure it's nothing and after all, you just met him. Give it a few days," Mizore assured as she yanked open the closet door.

"You're right. I just hope this gut feeling will go away soon. He does seem like a genuinely nice person," Drayce sighed as he took a box from the tiny dark room. "Come on, let's go back to see if the others need help."

The couple made their way back to the classroom but nothing could prepare them for what they were about to see. The door slid open, giving both Drayce and Mizore a full view of Tsukune who was crouched on the floor, his position giving him a full view of Kurumu and Moka undergarments as they tried to pin the posters at the height Gin desired. Drayce dropped the box in surprise and shock, alerting the people in the room, which unfortunately meant that Tsukune had been found out.

"Tsukune!" Moka squealed, her face red with embarrassment at the sight of Tsukune's position. "What are you doing?!"

Immediately, Tsukune recoiled, realizing the situation he was in. He tried to formulate a reply but all that came out of his mouth were a jumble of words that made no sense whatsoever. In disgust, Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari all stormed out of the room.

"Well, I guess today's meeting is over," Gin laughed as he looked at the expression on Tsukune's face.

* * *

" _This is so embarrassing! Did Tsukune really see?"_ Moka thought worriedly, slightly lifting the hem of her skirt, tryin to see the reflection in the bathroom mirror.

" _ **What are you doing?"**_

The voice of her inner self scared her so much, Moka jumped and screamed in surprise.

" _ **Calm down, geez. You need to make sure to keep an eye out. I'm sensing something dangerously powerful from that boy, Gin I believe."**_

"Wait! What do you mean?" Moka cried out, questions ricocheting around in her mind. The only answer she received was silence, her inner self was gone. " _Oh well, I guess I should go back to my room and call it a day."_

The next day, Moka was still feeling troubled but was feeling relatively better. For one, Tsukune was trailing behind her, profusely apologizing for the events of yesterday fiasco but despite his best efforts, Moka continued to ignore him.

" _Well, I know he didn't mean to peep but this silent treatment should suffice as a punishment for looking!"_ Moka thought, smiling to herself. " _Of course, I will talk to him again but in a few days."_

From afar, Gin watched the pair's interaction with amusement. He turned around, his eyes landing on two girls walking with each other and approached them. "Excuse me, but can I ask you both a question?"

The two girls had looks of confusion on their faces but nevertheless nodded. Gin, taking the green light, took a stab with his question. "Those two, Tsukune Aono and Moka Akashiya, are they dating?"

"Um, I don't know but I heard rumors that Moka often kisses Tsukune on the neck!" one of the girls answered, her friend nodding in agreement.

"Hmm, interesting. Thank you girls," Gin thanked as he walked away. " _Ugh. If I want to make Moka mine, then there's only one way to get Moka to completely despise him but it'll have to wait until after school today."_

The day went by comparatively boring. Besides the fact that Moka, Kurumu, and Yukari wouldn't speak to Tsukune with Mizore being indifferent, Drayce was the only person the unfortunate boy could turn to.

"So that's what happened. But to be honest, did you really have to look to confirm your theory? Come on man," Drayce asked. "But they'll get over it. It was an accident after all, plus you have me!"

"Thanks Drayce. I just wish my luck wasn't so horrible," Tsukune lamented.

"There you are Tsukune! I've been looking for you!" Gin exclaimed as he came up running to the boys. "Drayce, if you don't mind, I wanted to talk to Tsukune about something."

"Sure. See you later?" Drayce asked.

"Yeah sure. I'll try and stay out of trouble," Tsukune replied before following Gin. The two walked outside and towards the back of the school. It wasn't until they had reached the isolated area until Gin spoke.

"Sorry about what happened yesterday, really I am. I found a way you can make things right with Moka. Just take a quick peek over there," Gin suggested, pointing to a small window on the back of the building with his thumb. "You can reach it using the oil drums."

Tsukune nodded and dragged the large, empty metal can towards the window and began to climb up.

"You know, I was smitten with Moka when I first saw her. She's better than they say, and that's why I'll make her mine!" Gin declared.

"What? Why are you saying that so suddenly?" Tsukune asked from atop the barrel. He turned and peeked into the window and his face flushed red. Inside were girls. Girls with nothing on but their undergarments. A snap and flash alerted Tsukune as he turned towards the source, only for his blood to freeze. Gin was standing there, camera in hand with a developed photo in the other.

"Hey, hey Tsukune. Peeping is a crime you know," Gin said evilly. "I wonder how fast your bond with Moka will crumble away if I show her this picture."

Tsukune frozen but dizzy lost his balance and crashed onto the ground. Gin had disappeared somewhere but him and the photo was the least of his worries for now.

"Hey! What was that noise?!" A girl's flushed red face appeared at the window and looked right at Tsukune. "Peeping Tom!"

In panic, Tsukune began to ran, only to be chased by the crowd of girls that were in the changing room. Despite his best efforts, Tsukune ended up trapped by the girls and was thrusted to the ground.

"What were you doing?!"

"You no good scum!"

"Tsukune…"

The boy looked up in shame to see Moka with a look of disgust and horror on her face. "Is it true? You were peeping?"

"Wait, this is a misunderstanding-" Tsukune began but the torrent of comments cut him off.

"Oh yeah?! Then what were you doing just then, peeping into the girl's changing room?! Huh?!"

"I did peep but-"

So you admit it!"

And that was the comment that did it. Without looking back at Tsukune, Moka turned tail and ran away from Tsukune, leaving him at the mercy of the furious girls that bore down on him with fists, feet, and brooms.

* * *

"Is it true? Tsukune peeped?" Yukari asked, worried.

"Anyway you look at it, the facts are there," Mizore said grimly. "As much as I want to believe he didn't, there were eyewitnesses."

"I don't believe it! Tsukune wouldn't peep! How can he look at other girls besides me?!" Kurumu exclaimed.

"I don't buy it either," Drayce scowled. "I think Gin set him up. The amount of time since Tsukune was with me and when he was caught was too short of a time span for Gin and Tsukune talk and have Tsukune run off to peep."

"But we don't have any evidence that he didn't do it," Yukari said sadly.

"Then it's up to the newspaper club to find out!" Kurumu exclaimed. "We need to clear our friend's name, for the sake of our relationship!"

* * *

Moka stared blankly off into the distance, the red moon illuminating the night. The creak of a door bringing her back to reality. Moka turned to her right to see Gin walking towards her.

"What are you doing here? It's way past dusk, not that I'm complaining. Look, there's a full moon!" Gin began. "I heard about the thing with Tsukune. I guess this is one of the times which the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' applies."

"Is-is it true that Tsukune is a peeping tom?" Moka asked shakily.

"Look, I understand you want to believe him but he was caught, with evidence! Just forget about him and spend time with me," Gin pressed as he leaned forward to kiss the vampire.

Feeling uncomfortable Moka leaned back and pushed the sophomore away. Gin sighed and reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo and handed it to Moka. "I didn't want to do this but here's all the evidence. I dunno who took them but it catches Tsukune right in the act. He even moved an oil drum to reach the window!"

"Can you be sure about that?" Moka and Gin turned around to see Kurumu, Yukari, Drayce, Mizore, and Tsukune standing behind them. "I want to take a look at the pictures."

Gin shrugged and handed over the pictures to Kurumu. She inspected the photo carefully and grinned. "Moka, come take a look at this photo. Sure it shows Tsukune peeping but it only shows his upper body."

"I went to the scene of the crime afterwards, but it was my first time there after all," Gin said.

"If you were there for the first time yesterday, how do you know Tsukune used the oil drums?" Yukari countered.

"Because the oil drums are never there!"

"But how do you know the oil drums are never there if you only been there today?" Kurumu asked.

"Uhh, well, I may have passed by a few times. But it still doesn't prove I was at the scene of the crime," Gin replied, beginning to panic.

"Well, we asked some of the girls and they told us that they removed the oil drums right after the incident, not wanting a repeat of what happened," Mizore spoke. "So the only time the barrels were there, were before and immediately after the crime happened!"

"Furthermore, there was eyewitness account that saw you move the oil drums before it happened," Drayce finalized. "You, Ginei Morioka, set up Tsukune."

Gin stepped back, knowing that he had been caught. He bent over and began to transform. "Well, I didn't want this to happen but if I want Moka to be with me, then I guess I'll have to do it by force!"

By the time he was done, the group had taken one step back. "A werewolf."

"That's right! How dare all of you get in the way. Back off!" Gin roared.

"Damn it!" Tsukune yelled as he ran forwards, despite his friends' protests. "Moka!"

"Always trying to be with her! Give it up Tsukune!" Gin hissed as he tripped the boy as soon as he got close to the girl. "You can go and die!"

As Gin leaped in for the kill, a red burst of light erupted into the night, transforming Moka and releasing her inner form. Gin was frozen as he stared at the sight in awe. "The red eyes, silver hair, it's a vampire! Even better if she's gonna be my she wolf!"

"Bastard. Go to hell!" Moka shouted as she aimed a powerful kick at the mutt.

"Hah! What are you aiming at?!" Gin snarled from atop a building spire. "While vampires are known for their strength, we werewolves are known for our speed and as the moon glows brighter, we too grow in speed with it and tonight is the brightest of all nights with no clouds in sight!"

"A werewolf under the full moon is practically invincible! Moka's gonna have a hard time fighting Gin!" Drayce gritted as he watched Moka strike furiously at Gin who was dashing around at full speed. "At this rate, we'll all be beaten unless…"

"What?" Kurumu asked frantically. "Do you have a way to beat Gin?"

"Yeah! Just pray that it works!" Drayce shouted as his mask begins to crack and crumble away. "Moka, keep him busy!"

The boy thrusts his hand into the sky and begins to concentrate. Slowly, the sky got darker and darker, as if a cloud had covered the moon. To Moka's surprise, she noticed Gin's movements getting progressively slower and slower before managing to catch the wolf's wrist.

"Huh?!" Gin said shocked as he looked into the sky. "W-what happened to the moon?!"

Moka looked up to see the moon no longer glowing. It was now just a dark, gloomy orb suspended in the sky. The vampire turned to see Drayce's hand glowing with light before turning back to the werewolf, a smirk gracing her face. Drayce rushes forward with speed rivaling Gin's and slams the glowing fist into the werewolf's head. The force of the strike causes Gin's body to smack onto the ground and bounce back up, just in time to catch a super-powered kick to his gut which sends him over the railings and crashing to the ground.

"Nice punch," Moka says as she looked at Gin's unconscious form.

"Not to bad yourself, thoughI think I ripped something," Drayce groans as a sharp pain shoots across his shoulder. " _Damn it! That last attack was too much for me. I should be considered lucky that my arm wasn't torn off."_

He releases his clenched fist and the swirl of light began to fade from his hand. Slowly but surely, the moon in the night sky began to give off its pale glow once again. Sighing, he raises a hand to ease the throbbing pain in his shoulder. Mizore immediately comes to his side to help support him.

"What happened? Why the the sky get darker?" Yukari asked as she and Kurumu came up to the group.

"That was me," Drayce says. "Although I think I fucked up my shoulder with that last punch."

"Language!" Yukari scolded.

"You're one to talk," Drayce retorts as he forms a cast of ice onto his injured shoulder to relieve some of the pain. "But hey, at least we have an article to write about now."

"At least you have a point," Tsukune sighs, a smile on his face. "I can't thank you all enough for helping me. I thought no one would believe me."

"Well, whatever you all are going to do, it's going to have to wait. We need to get Drayce to the nurse's office to get his shoulder checked out," Moka said. "And Tsukune, don't ever let me catch you actually peeping or I'll have to teach you your place."

"Yes ma'am!" the boy squeaked as the vampire took the rosary from his grasp and reattached it.

* * *

"Extra! Extra! Come and get your copy!" Kurumu called out as she handed a copy to a passing student. "Seriously, who would've thought this would be our first article?"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Drayce replied laughing, as he repositioned the sling around his left arm while watching Gin getting chased around by a mob of girls.

"Hey, how long will that take to heal?" Yukari asked, nodding to Drayce's shoulder.

"Dunno, I few days? The nurse said I tore my rotator cuff but it was already healing by the time she was looking at it. It's not to serious," Drayce shrugged.

"For you! You heal scrapes and bruises almost instantly!" Mizore whined. "It's not fair!"

"Comes in the genes, honey."

"Hey Moka, how's it looking up the- WAAAGH!" Tsukune yelped as he turned around.

"Hey, no looking!" Moka exclaimed as she kicked Tsukune's face.

The boy fell backwards and onto the ground, blood dripping from his nose. Moka stepped down from the step ladder and knelt down next to the boy. "You're bleeding again. It smells good."

"Someone wanna stop her?" Kurumu asked as she handed out another copy of the newspaper.

"Don't look at me. I can't," Drayce replied.

"Not me."

"Nope."

 **CHOMP**

"ARGH! Guys!"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Alright, I got some good news! I recently made a Wattpad account and you can read my story on there if you want to! If you have any stories you like, please recommend them to me cause honestly, I'm running out of good stories to read and I'm tired of reading A Small Place for English class. But hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The empty sounds of footsteps resonate through an empty hall as a single figure walked down it. A warm breeze blew, kicking up the burnt ash and keeping the few embers glowing a ghostly white. The entire place was black and white, like one of the old films but much more real. Drayce's pupils continue to dilate as he walks down the endless hallway, small piles of flaming debris everywhere.

" _Weak. Pathetic,"_ a figure in front of him sneered, his face hidden by the shadows and ash.

As Drayce got close to him, the figure erupted in flames, burning away in a matter of seconds with the ash swirling in his face only to reappear further down the hall in another flash of flames.

" _You lack...conviction. Still just a mere child,"_ the figure continued to speak before burning away and appearing directly behind Drayce.

"Four years," Drayce replied, "that's how long I've been searching. I will find you."

" _And what will do when you find me? You can't protect them, you lack the strength. What will you do when I strike again?"_ the silhouette asked mockingly.

"I'll beat you and find out the truth myself," Drayce snarled.

The shadow simply laughed, his two glowing eyes gleaming in the dark. " _That will never happen. You will fall to me, along with everything you have ever known and love."_

Screaming in frustration, Drayce sent a blast of fire towards his tormentor, only for the shadowy figure to send one back at him. The more powerful strike engulfed his own attack and struck him, causing the hallway to explode. The floor beneath him began to crack and give in, sending Drayce falling into an infinite abyss. He looked up in terror, seeing the fiery chunks of rubble beginning to rain down on him, crushing him before he blacked out. He struggled furiously at the suffocating heat, kicking and lashing out before throwing the smothering layer off of himself. He bolted straight up, his eyes wide and sweat covering his forehead. His eyes flitted around his environment before he let out the breath he had been holding.

He raised a shaking hand to his face to wipe away the sweat before turning his

head to his left. Mizore was already awake, watching him with her glacial blue eyes staring intently at him. He looked past her at the clock on his wall. Two in the morning.

"Damn it," he sighed under his breath.

Mizore sat up and snuggled up against Drayce silently, resting her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Drayce wraps his arms around Mizore and inhaled, taking in her scent.

"It was just a nightmare," she reassured him.

"I don't want to lose you," Drayce croaked, tightening his grip. "Not again."

"You won't. We're not alone, we have our friends," Mizore replied, embracing the boy.

Drayce brought his hands to his eyes, rubbing them tiredly. "This is stupid. Sorry I woke us up."

"Just try and get some rest! Finals are coming up soon too," Mizore begged.

"Fucking finals. Can't believe it's that time of year already," Drayce grumbled, pulling the covers back over them. "Do you think Ms. Ririko will go easy on us?"

"I hate her. Her way of explaining trig is way too complicated," Mizore sighed.

"4+3sin( _x_ -3π)"

"What?"

"That's the answer to number 10."

"Tell me in the damn morning please."

Drayce snorts and scoots closer to Mizore. " _Between him and the finals, I have no idea which one I'm more stressed out about."_

* * *

"So class, all we need to do to calculate the period for trigonometry graphs is divide _B_ by 2π! So then all we need to do after that is plug this into our graph," Ms. Ririko said, charting the curve onto the blackboard with the piece of chalk.

" _Oh man, this is bad! I don't understand a word of this!"_ Tsukune panicked internally, hands on his head as he stared at the homework problems on his paper.

"So now for this next question, Mr. Aono," Ms. Ririko called out.

"Yes?"

"Please try and solve this next problem on the board," Ms. Ririko instructed, tapping the question with her stick.

"Umm, I-I don't know how to," Tsukune admitted.

"Hmm, such a shame. We you not listening to my lesson? You shouldn't be spacing out now of all times with the final exams coming up and all. Do try and do your best," Ms. Ririko tutted.

"Oh no! I forgot all about the finals! If I keep this up, I'm not gonna be able to advance to second year!" Tsukune freaked.

Drayce stared at his friend in sympathy, shaking his head. " _Strain's gotten to you now, hasn't it Tsukune?"_

At that moment, the echo of the bell sounded out through the school, signaling the end of the day. With his head hanging low, Tsukune packed his bags. Just as he finished up, he caught Moka's arm. "Come with me at to roof."

Surprised, Moka nodded and the two walked in unison towards the top level. With blood pounding in his ears and a headache drilling away in his head, Tsukune pushed open the door to the roof, letting the fresh air rush down the stairs. The two stepped outside before Tsukune began to speak.

"Moka, I need your help. If today was any indication, I'm going to fail out this year. That's why I want you to help tutor me," Tsukune begged. "I'm still trying to adjust to this school and I always get caught up in situations making it hard I for me to study! So please, help me Moka!"

"Well, I guess I could help if it's within my power to do so! Maybe you could come to my room tonight?" Moka asked shyly. "That way, I could help you out a lot!"

" _Go to your room?!"_ Tsukune thought, shocked.

His body was jerked back as Moka pushed him to the wall. "I'll do everything in my power to help you pass Tsukune, because...you always let me suck your blood!"

With that, Moka leaned forward and bit into Tsukune's neck, slurping up the red liquid. The sweet, smooth, and rich flavor running rampant through her taste buds as the blood flowed into her mouth.

"Hold it right there!" The door burst open and Kurumu ran out, pointing an accusing finger at the two. "I heard that! Tsukune, anything you want me to help you with, I can do it!"

"No, he should do it with me!" Yukari shouted, smashing her feet onto the succubus's back as she dropped down from the sky on a broom. "Studying is right up my lane! So what do you say Tsukune, let's do it together!"

"Umm, I really don't think-"

"Come on man! With all this help, you really shouldn't be complaining. You need every bit of it," Drayce called from atop the bulkhead.

"What about you?" Tsukune asked.

Drayce shrugged and jumped down. "I think Mizore would appreciate some help since she isn't too keen on asking anyone else. She'll need as much help as you."

"I don't," Mizore said quietly, a blush rising to her cheeks as she appeared from the doorway.

"Oh yeah?" Drayce challenged. "Then what happens to the sine graph if the _A_ value is a negative?"

"..."

"Thought so."

"If that's the case, how about we host a study group during clubs today! I'm sure it'll help everyone," Moka suggested.

"I'll teach!" Yukari exclaimed.

"No objections there," Tsukune said, a smile on his face.

The group took leave from the roof, grabbing their notebooks, textbooks, and pencil cases. Seeing as Gin wasn't in the room, taking pictures of girls most likely, they figured it should be safe to miss one day of clubs for studying. The study group was now officially in session.

"So, do you understand it now?" Moka asked, finishing up an example problem.

"Yeah! You made it totally easy to follow and understand, as expected of someone like you Moka," Tsukune complemented.

"Oh geez Tsukune," Moka blushed.

"Hey stop it you two! You're staring at each other again!" Kurumu interrupted. "Tsukune! Since you understand it, can you teach it to me pleeeeease?"

"So what's the difference between sine and cosine?" Mizore asked blankly.

"Geez Mizore! I thought I taught that to you last week!" Drayce exclaimed before starting his explanation once again.

"Wow Moka, your notes are really helpful and easy to read!" Tsukune exclaimed as he flipped through the vampire's notes. "The important points are all arranged so neatly and are easy to understand!"

"Oh it's nothing. If it really helps you, I can write down a copy for you," Moka offers.

"There's no need to do that! I'll feel bad! I can just photocopy it," Tsukune proposed. "Oh wait, I forgot they don't have those things here at this school."

"Don't worry! It's for you after all. I'll work hard!" Moka replied generously. "Let's call this a day!"

With the sun beginning to set, the group packed up and went their separate ways.

"Ah geez! I worked really hard today," Tsukune yawned as he placed his books into his locker.

"Yeah, you really did Tsukune," Moka agreed.

"My, my, Mr. Aono. Still doing club activities this late?" Ms. Ririko asked, walking into the student locker area.

"No, not at all Ms. Ririko. We were having a group study session," Tsukune replied.

"Group study? Well, that's not good at all," Ms. Ririko clipped. "I respect your efforts to study but if a group of students get together, they'll do nothing but fool around."

"That's not true!"

"Yeah. Tsukune was working really hard today-" Moka said deftly.

"Ms. Akashiya, you're not helping Mr. Aono. No matter how good your grades are, only a professional educator can help teach others," Ms. Ririko said. "Mr. Aono, please come to my classroom after school tomorrow. I'll show you what it really means to study."

* * *

"Lessons with Ms. Ririko? This can't be good," Drayce offers.

"Tell me about it. But it's really the only option she's giving me, that is if I want to pass the finals," Tsukune sighed as he flopped onto the table.

"You know, I heard from the other classes that Ms. Ririko is really into education but gets too obsessed with it and goes overboard with it," Kurumu says. "And she also pisses me off! Going boing boing all the time and grabbing all the boys' attention!"

"Boing?" Moka asks.

"Umm, excuse me?" Drayce asks nervously.

"Hah! Getting frustrated that those breast you're so proud of are getting beat by a teachers? That's so childish!" Yukari exclaims.

"You're the child! Your chest is as flat as a pancake!" Kurumu retorts.

"Well, I think I should go. Best not be late," Tsukune sighs as he gets up out of his seat.

He grabs his bag and begins to make his way to the classroom. The empty halls of the school echo back his footsteps as he plods down the linoleum floors. Arriving at the room, he slides open the door. "Ms. Ririko?"

Tsukune jumps in shock at the sight of the classroom. It was dark, only illuminated by the wax candles atop skulls. It was an extremely ominous feeling but the real kicker was Ms. Ririko, who was wearing some very revealing clothing. "Wh-why are you wearing that?!"

"I thought it would help you study better if I wore this."

"You're crazy! It would only cause me to imagine all types of weird stuff! This is way to weird for-"

A sharp sting on his cheek stops his remark mid-statement. Tsukune turns and stares at his teacher in disbelief, not wanting to believe what he had gotten himself into as he watched the whip wave around Ms. Ririko's back.

"On the contrary. Teachers are respected personnel in this society. I am a teacher and you are my pupil which means total obedience. You also have a wonderful smell, just like a human," Ms. Ririko quips as she walks closer.

"Surely that's just your imagination!" Tsukune replies shakily.

"You're the first student I've had that smells like this. I'm interested to see how much I can teach you. But I have to warn you, my courses are _very_ intense," Ms. Ririko says. "What do you say we start?"

* * *

"Do you guys think something is weird with Tsukune?" Mizore asks.

"Yeah totally. He didn't respond to me during PE today when I asked him to tutor me," Kurumu huffed.

"I agree. He doesn't even have the brain capacity to memorize the formulas he's been spouting all day," Drayce responds.

 **SMACK**

"Just kidding! Can't you guys take a joke?"

"Nice hit Mizore. Joking about one's mental capacity is never funny," Yukari announces.

A stiff silence falls onto the room. A sense of boredom was thick in the air with one of the more optimistic people gone. No one even acknowledges the fact that Moka had also entered the room who immediately sits down and begins copying her notes into another one. Another fifteen minutes pass by with nothing but the sound of pen on paper.

 **Grumble…**

"Shit, I'm hungry. Hey Mizore, do we actually have food in the pantry?" Drayce asks as he sits up.

"Don't think so," the yuki onna shrugged.

"Damn it. Does that mean I actually have to cook today?" Drayce groans, slamming his fist and head into the table as the entire room busts out laughing at the ridiculous statement.

"No! Not your cooking!" Kurumu begged dramatically.

"Try not to set your dorm on fire," Moka giggles.

"It'll be a Christmas miracle if he could manage that," Mizore replies, cracking a smile.

"Hey! I've been practicing!"

"Have you really?" Yukari asks skeptically. "Then how come your rice still ends up black and burnt in home economics?"

"Point made."

"I'll go with you," Mizore sighs as she stands up. "If we actually want to eat tonight, it'll take the both of us and then some."

"If it doesn't turn out to well, come find me and I can help you guys get something to eat," Moka offered.

"Yeah. Might take you up on that offer. Com'on Mizore, if we hurry, we might make it to the store before it closes!" Drayce shouts as he jumps out the window and slides down to the ground on an ice slide with Mizore clambering out the window after the boy. As the pair left the room, Moka shook her head in amusement before returning to her notebook

After another hour of copying her notes, Moka stood up and began to pack up. Clubs had gotten boring with half their friends gone so there really was no point in staying any longer. The vampire decided to retire back to her dorm and make herself some dinner and possibly help Drayce and Mizore if needed. Opening her locker Moka sighed, staring at her numerous textbooks from her many teachers. Soba might be good for tonight's dinner. Well, it would've been her dinner plan had she not heard the distance scream of someone very familiar. Her eyes widened and she slammed shut her locker and dashed towards the classroom that held her friend captive.

As she arrived at the classroom, another scream was emitted from the room. Throwing open the door, Moka stared at the scene in horror. Ms. Ririko, now in her monster form, had the end of her tail clamped onto Tsukune's head as he received shock after shock.

"Stop it! What are you doing to Tsukune?!" Moka shouted.

"Ms. Akashiya, interrupting as usual. You are a nuisance as usual, getting in the way of our education," Ms. Ririko sneered.

"Tsukune, snap out of it! You have to wake up!" Moka pleaded desperately.

"It's no use. Can't you see how strong the bond between teacher and student is?" Ms. Ririko flaunted as Tsukune kissed her hand.

Not able to stand it anymore, Moka grabbed a candle and lobbed it at Ms. Ririko. The base of the skull nailed the teacher on the left cheek, knocking back her head. Ms. Ririko whipped her head towards Moka in fury and surprise.

"Now you've done it, you bitch!" screeched Ms. Ririko. "I've had it with you!"

Taking the end of her tail off Tsukune's head, she whipped her tail around and slammed it right into Moka's stomach, sending her flying out of the classroom. The impact was so strong, it created cracks in the wall.

"Holy fuck!"

In her addled state, Moka was somewhat aware she was being lifted by two people. Bringing her hand to her head, she cleared her head from the distortion. Besides her were Drayce and Mizore, supporting her on either side.

"We were trying to find you but heard shouting and screaming so we ran here as fast as we could," Mizore explained.

"Yeah. Soba turned out shit," Drayce said, rolling his eyes. "But who is it this time that needs their ass kicked?"

"Ms. Ririko brainwashed Tsukune," Moka managed to reply, as she struggled to her feet.

"Stay out this for now, at least until we can get Tsukune free and have him take your rosary off," Drayce instructed, ice katanas forming in both his hands.

"Hey teacher, chill out!" Mizore called out a bitingly chilly wind swept through the class.

"All of you! I am doing this because your teacher! You all need to obey me!" Ms. Ririko screeched in anger.

"Hey! Stop yapping and you might pay attention!" Drayce shouted as he lunged towards the snake woman.

"Pesky brats!" Ms. Ririko's tail swept upwards and slammed Drayce into the ceiling before letting him drop to the floor.

Gritting her teeth, Mizore unleashed a barrage of hail towards Ms. Ririko. Seeing this, the teacher knocked over several candles, creating a wall of fire between them, melting the ice in a matter of seconds. Grabbing more candles, Ms. Ririko lobbed them at Mizore, putting up a wall of flames and trapping her. Seeing as her friends were in trouble Moka dashed into the room.

Ms. Ririko, fed up with the students, smashed her tail into Moka again. The strike sent Moka soaring above the desks before crashing and landing next to Drayce who was just recovering.

"All of you are useless! I'm the one who should be respected here! You can't help anyone!" Ms. Ririko shouted as she tore apart one of Moka's notebook, the pages fluttering down right in front of Tsukune who had been standing there the entire time. As the boy's glazed eyes followed the pages, finally landing on a small handwritten note on one of them. Her voice comes back to him.

" _Don't worry! It's for you after all. I'll work hard!"_

" _This handwriting, it's Moka's,"_ he realized as he stared at the page.

" _If it really helps you, I can write down a copy for you!"_

His mind clears as the effect of Ms. Ririko's work wore off. Without thinking he lunges towards Moka and yanks her out of the way from Ms. Ririko's tail.

"Tsukune!" Moka yelps, surprised.

"Sorry it took me so long to come to my senses. Don't worry! I got your notes," Tsukune smiled, holding the wrinkled piece of paper.

Another yelp and crash sounds as Ms. Ririko's tail pins Drayce to the wall. The two watch as their friend struggled against the snake tail. "Both of you, go get Mizore! NOW!" he screams.

Frightened, the two dashed towards Mizore and pull her out of the classroom as Drayce receives shock after shock. The trio could only watch and listen as Drayce suffered at the hands of the teacher.

"Weak! Pathetic!" Ms. Ririko shouts as she continues to shock Drayce.

" _Weak. Pathetic. Still just a mere child."_

Drayce's eyes roll to the back of his skull as his mind spirals into darkness. The man's voice from his nightmare rings back into his mind. He struggles to look at his teacher's glowing eyes in defiance but something strange begins to happen. The glowing yellow eyes turn into orbs of light spiraling towards him, one blue and the other red.

" _It is true you lack conviction,"_ a pair of voices rumble in his mind _. "Show us your strength. Show us your will. Show us your legacy. It is time to choose."_

Desperately, Drayce lashed out and his hand closed around the red light. And that's when everything went dark.

* * *

Drayce had no idea what had happened next. It was only when Mizore, Tsukune, and Moka had came to visit him at the nurse when he found out what happened last night. On their account, his eye began to glow red as did the electricity that had crackled around his body, eventually turning into flames. Red, fire marks began to appear on his face, flames wreathed around his entire body.

With a giant roar, Drayce pushed back against the tail with all his might, forcing the thing off him. Once he was freed, he leaped forward and slammed his right leg into Ms. Ririko's stomach, followed by an uppercut. Pushing off, he retreated back to the doorway of the classroom.

" _ **Weak? I think not,"**_ Drayce growled, his voice warped and overlapped by another, one deeper and raspier.

Holding out a hand, Drayce channeled all of his energy into the palm of his hand and ejected it all. A blast of blue flames burst forth, engulfing and burning everything in its path. By the time the flow of flames had cut out, so did Drayce's energy. Lowering his hand, he collapsed to the floor and was carried to the nurse by Mizore, Tsukune, and Moka where he had remained for the duration of the night.

"Seriously? I did that?" Drayce groaned.

Mizore nodded as she handed him a spoon and a bowl of cereal. Drayce looked at the meal, only just realizing how hungry he was as he had missed dinner last night. He accepted the meal gratefully, appreciating the ice cold milk and the crunchy flakes as it washed down his burning throat.

"So the classroom is going to be out of commission for a while. At least until they start fixing it," Kurumu notified.

"You're all reckless! Just be grateful that there were no repercussions," Yukari chimed in. "Can't believe a bitch like that would do something to my Tsukune!"

"Language," Moka chided before the group was ushered out by the nurse, insisting that he needed rest.

"Meet me in the club room. I'll be there," Drayce promised as his friends left the room.

"Well, despite my concerns, you have another visitor," the nurse huffed. "The Headmaster would like to speak with you."

"Very well. Send him in," Drayce sighed. The nurse nodded and disappeared into her office. Moments later, a robed man swept into the room and took a seat in the chair facing towards Drayce's bed.

"Mr. Tatsugami. Do not be alarmed, I assure you that neither you nor your friends are in trouble, though I do apologize for my staff's behavior. I hope you can understand," the man spoke, keeping a smooth and even tone.

"It's alright Headmaster, although I don't quite understand. You're not here for an apology are you?" Drayce asked, his eye narrowing.

The man grinned as if amused before speaking. "Very good. You are perceptive and I expect nothing less from a monster of your caliber."

"You know?" Drayce asked, his voice hardening.

"I've known long before you arrived. I knew your parents well too," the Headmaster sighed. "Tragic, really, what happened to them but they did leave something in my possession that might entertain you."

Curious, Drayce shifted his body towards the man as he stuck a hand into his robes and pulled out a golden scroll. Slowly, he unfurled the sheet of paper and revealed it to the bedridden boy. The scroll had three columns, two of which were glowing too brightly to make out the words, the third dull and dark. Drayce studied the dark text. It was in a crimson red in color.

"I don't know what it says," Drayce replies, shaking his head.

"Well, this scroll seems to be tied to you. Around the alleged end time of the fight between you and Kagome, this section of text faded and that's why I'm here," the Headmaster explained as he leaned in closer. "What exactly happened last night around that time?"

"Ms. Ririko had her tail on me and I was pinned to the wall and I blacked out," Drayce recalled.

"Go on."

"But right before I passed out, I saw these glowing lights in front of me. I reached out and grabbed the red one I think," Drayce started. "Do you think it has anything to do with the scroll and the text?"

"Hmm, they may be closely related. Did you happen to see a white light?" the Headmaster asked as he scanned the scroll again.

"No. Just red and blue."

The man sighed and rolled up the scroll as he stood up. "Drayce. I want you to keep an eye out for anything like that happening again and tell me if it does. It'll be best for the both of us. This scroll is your birthright. Your parents left it for you after all."

"Will do," Drayce sighed. Things were really starting to get weirder and weirder by the day.

 **A/N: Strange indeed Mr. Tatsugami, strange indeed. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Whoo, I think it's about time I updated this story, don't you think? Midterms at school have been killing me and I tried to write as much as I could in my spare time but needless to say, I couldn't actually get much onto the page , but anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Summer, one of the few times where relaxation was actually possible at Yokai Academy. Tsukune paced back and forth in front of the pumpkin-headed scarecrow at the bus station, periodically checking his wristwatch. The boy was wearing a cyan blue short sleeved casual dress shirt with a white tee on the inside along with a matching brown pair of pants. A hand was tugging at one of the straps of his backpack.

"Hey Tsukune! Did you wait for long?" A voice rang out.

"No, I just got here," Tsukune responded, looking up from his watch. "Whoa!"

Standing in front of him was Moka, wearing a simple yellow dress with a white cardigan over it. "You're really early! There's still about thirty minutes till the arranged meeting time."

"Moka, you look really good in casual clothes!" Tsukune complimented.

"Is it strange or…" Moka began shyly.

"No way! I think it really suits you Moka!" Tsukune assured the vampire. " _This trip… I was really surprised when I first heard about it! Sure didn't expect it to turn out like how it did!"_

 **Flashback Begins**

" _A retreat?!"_

" _Yeah! The newspaper club is going to have a summer retreat in the human world," Ms. Nekonome replied._

" _Ms. Nekonome, are you sure?" Drayce asked, slightly concerned. "I mean with the number of people and stuff?"_

" _It should be fine with all of you," Ms. Nekonome replied. "Maybe…"_

" _Maybe?!"_

 **Flashback Ends**

" _Going with Moka and the others to the human world. This is all so sudden, I don't know what to feel. Is it really alright to be happy about it?"_ Tsukune wondered, staring off into the distance at the clouds.

"Hey Tsukune, can I tell you something?" Moka asked in a timid voice. "I told you and Drayce before. I lived in the human world up till junior high and I've always hated them. And to be honest, I'm still anxious after all those years. But don't worry because my participation will overcome my anxiety if I'm with you!"

At that, the pink haired girl leaned back and fell onto Tsukune's shoulder. "I'll be counting on you, 'kay?" The pair slowly leaned in agonizingly slow, their gazed lost in each other's.

"Come on guys! Hurry up!"

The pair immediately jumped apart, afraid of getting spotted. Kurumu, Yukari, Drayce, and Mizore strolled towards them at a brisk pace. They were all wearing summer clothing except Drayce. He wore his black trench coat which he seemed awfully attached to, even in the summer heat. Kurumu stormed up to the two and jabbed a finger at Moka.

"What were you two doing?" the succubus asked accusingly, suspicion in her voice.

"Kurumu, it's fine. You can lay off them. Even someone who's nearsighted can see that they were talking," Drayce laughed.

"Hmph, fine. But that was what you better had been doing!" Kurumu announced.

Tsukune sighed before catching Drayce's mischievous wink and flushing red in embarrassment at his friend's knowing grin. "Come on man. You like her, just admit it," Drayce said as he dropped his satchel to the ground.

"Shut up. I like all of them. I just don't know who to choose when I need to," Tsukune insisted, turning to face the older boy. "And easy for you to say, you're dating Mizore already! You don't have three girls fawning over you."

"True enough. Oh by the way, how was finals? Never got the chance to ask," Drayce mused.

"Don't remind me. Somehow, I forgot everything Ms. Ririko taught me but I still managed to pass by several points," Tsukune groaned.

"Hey everyone!"

The students turned to gaze down the path, their eyes greeted by the sight of Ms. Nekonome waving at them from the school's bus rolling down the path. The faded yellow and green bus creaked to a stop in front of the students.

"This is the first time that the newspaper club is going on a retreat to the human world! Let's all relax and have fun!" Ms. Nekonome cheered.

"Uh Ms. Nekonome, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly in the human world are we going?" Drayce asked lazily as he takes a sip of water.

"Huh? Oh, we're going to Fuyuhashi," Ms. Nekonome replied, her eyes flitting over the map in her hands.

Drayce's smile faltered slightly and the air around him dropped by several degrees. Moka and Tsukune glanced at Mizore and Drayce, Taking a breath the boy made an effort to smile and lighten the mood. "Great! Anyways, what were we talking about? Finals was it?"

"Yeah," Tsukune agreed, nodding his head. "Where's Gin?"

"He's doing make up lessons with Ms. Ririko," Drayce replied, shruddering. "As much as he's an idiot, lessons with Ms. Ririko should be considered cruel and unusual punishment."

"Wait Kurumu, what about you? Moka asked as she stepped into the bus.

"Oh don't worry about me! I finished all of my lessons right on time," the succubus laughed nervously as she quickly shoved the vampire onboard.

"You mean right on time to skip the lessons," Yukari snickers as the last of them boarded. The doors close and the bus rumbles off towards the tunnels.

"Well, maybe."

The bus enters the multicolor tunnel, the ominous lights flashing here and there as they pass through to the human world from the realm of monsters. Mizore slides closer to Drayce and squeezes his hand reassuringly as they continue to approach the end of the tunnel. The bus passes to the other side and Tsukune peers out the window. He sees a girl sitting by a store front reading a book, a mother and her child pushing a baby carriage, a group of boys laughing as they walk down the street.

"I-I'm home!" Tsukune exclaims happily. Drayce and Moka tense up, staring at the boy like he had lost his mind, which he clearly just had.

"What's up Tsukune? You seem really excited to be here, like a human," Kurumu observed, Mizore and Yukari nodding in agreement.

"Uh well, Tsukune used to live in the human world before attending Yokai Academy!" Moka replied quickly.

"Same here," Drayce nodded in agreement. "When you've been living there for a while, it's hard not to get attached. Like seriously, this place has one of the best arcades anywhere."

"I guess that can happen," Kurumu replies thoughtfully.

"Come on, what do you mean you guess? I'm serious!" Drayce protests as the rest of the group breaks out laughing.

* * *

"Hey Tsukune, Drayce, are you two really not afraid of the human world?" Yukari asks as she bumps the ball over the net.

"No, not at all. I actually find Yokai Academy scarier," Tsukune replies as he throws back the ball.

"What? Are you some kind of scaredy cat, afraid of the school you've been going to for a year?" Drayce laughs as he spikes the ball back.

Moka dives and hits the ball right before it hits the ground. "You okay Moka?" he asks.

"I'm fine! Sand just got in my swimsuit, that's all," the girl replies from the ground.

"So that's it. For a moment, I thought you were a human Tsukune," Kurumu replies relieved as she holds the ball to wait for Moka to recover. As soon as she does, Kurumu passes the ball to Mizore.

"Hey guys, let's drop the topic already. It's summer so let's talk about something else," Drayce proposes.

"Yeah! We're at a beach so let's have fun!" Moka agrees as she tosses the ball to Yukari.

"I agree, just like Moka said!" Yukari exclaims as she tries to hit the ball, only for Kurumu to hit it instead. "Hey Kurumu! Watch it!"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't notice cause you're so small," the busty girl replies sheepishly.

"Let's have a showdown then! Me against you!" Yukari shouts.

"A lady accepts all challenges," Kurumu smirks as she bends down to meet the small witch's eye level. "That's what I wanted!"

She smacks the incoming ball and it flies towards Tsukune, smacking him in the face. The ball flies upwards as a result, knocking down the boy. "Nice toss Tsukune!" Moka shouts. Drayce laughs and smacks the ball to Kurumu who slams it down to the ground. Yukari dives and saves it, hitting it to Mizore who passes it back.

"Yeah! It's mine! Take this," she shouts as a blue hand begins to appear, ready to smack the ball back. Tsukune, spotting this, gets up and runs upfront, only to be smacked by the giant hand. The hand disappears as Tsukune looks up at the witch.

"Yukari, don't do that. No magic in the human world," Tsukune reminds.

"Oh, I forgot. I guess I overdid it," Yukari apologizes.

"You guys wanna swim?" Kurumu asks as she fans herself. "It's really getting hot now."

"Sure, why not?" Mizore shrugs, looking at Drayce, who still had his coat on. "Drayce, play with me!"

Drayce sighs and begins to take of his jacket. "How can I say no to my snow bunny? Let me put my stuff away first."

"I'm going in!" Yukari shouts as she jumps into the water, a floaty ring around her waist. "Whee!"

Mizore puts the inflatable water float onto the water before lying down on it. Drayce walks into the water, his hand never letting go of the side of the inflatable. Moka and Tsukune remain seated on the beach watching the waves before them. Moka leans her head towards Tsukune's shoulder, putting her hand on the boy's. The two turn to look at each other, a romantic expression present on both their faces. The two lean in, their faces getting closer and closer, their lips almost touching.

"Hey Tsukune!"

The two shocked by the voice quickly pulled apart, embarrassed, and quite frankly, a bit annoyed that their kiss was interrupted. "Tsukune! What are you doing over there? Come into the water with us!" Kurumu invited seductively.

"Moka, let's go," Tsukune said as he stood up, his hand still holding Moka's.

"Sorry, I…" Moka began before looking away.

"No, don't! I should be the one apologizing instead, Moka. Even though I knew vampires are weak to water," Tsukune said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"No, it's okay. Go and swim Tsukune," Moka said as she stared at the boy's reluctant face. "Go on! Kurumu and the others are waiting for you to join them!"

"No!" Tsukune objected, dropping to his hands and knees to assume eye level with the vampire. "If you stay here, so am I! I can't enjoy myself at the beach if you're not around!"

Moka gasped and a slight blush appeared on her face. "Tsukune, are you really all right with that?" she asked softly, to which Tsukune nodded in response.

For the third time today, the pair leaned in, and also for the third time today, a voice rang out which scared the daylights out of the two. Moka looked upwards while Tsukune face planted into the sand. "Wait a minute!"

"Moka! You were about to suck Tsukune's blood, weren't you?" Kurumu asked accusingly, pointing a finger towards the girl.

"But it's just that Tsukune's blood smells so good!" Moka said dreamily, pressing her hands together.

"Moka, you have to keep in mind that it'll be bad if Tsukune faints in the human world," Drayce reminds

"If that's the case, I can take care of him!" Yukari exclaims, bounding towards the boy and takes hold of one of his arms.

"No, I can take care of Tsukune!" Kurumu shouts, yanking at Tsukune's other arm.

"Umm, I can too," Moka volunteers.

"You're the one causing the problem!" the two girls shout, to which Moka shrinks away in response.

In the squabble, Drayce and Mizore manage to pull Tsukune out of the mess and sits him down in front of them. Drayce digs in his bag and brings out three cans of juice. "Iced?" he asked as he looked up at them.

Both Mizore and Tsukune nod enthusiastically. Drayce grabs a can and a slowly, a thin layer of ice begins to form along the outside of the can. Brushing off the frozen water, he handed the first can to Mizore and began to freeze the second can before handing it to Tsukune.

"You know, I feel that even though we're on vacation, it seems like you never get a break," Drayce notes as he takes a sip from his drink, gesturing to Tsukune.

"You can say that again," Tsukune slumped.

"If you like Moka so much, just kiss her already," Mizore said blankly.

"What?! I can't just do that?!" Tsukune yelped.

"Why not?" Mizore asked. "You both clearly like each other."

"Mizore, he still has Kurumu and Yukari to think about," Drayce reminded as he drained the rest of his beverage.

"All of this is confusing," Tsukune mutters. "I wish I could just choose one of them but at the same time, I can't bear leaving the other two."

"Ah, indecisiveness. Real kicker," Drayce muses, standing up. "What do you say we all take a walk on the hill up there? Could clear our heads, plus, I heard it's haunted."

"Haunted?!"

* * *

The six students hike up to the summit of the hill and entered the maze of sunflowers that covered the field. They walked aimlessly along, staring at the scenery and appreciating the quietness.

"Are these for sightseeing?" Tsukune asked as he looked around, gingerly sniffing one of the flowers.

"There's no one here," Mizore observed as she stood around.

"No. This patch of sunflowers were a natural phenomenon but the mystery that surrounds this hill is greater still. You see, the humans wanted to destroy this patch to create more buildings but that didn't sit well with the residents of this field," Drayce began as he walked leisurely along the path.

"What happened next?" Kurumu asked, her attention now piqued by the presence of a unfolding story.

"See that house of there?" Drayce asked as he pointed to a building in the distance. "It was said that witches lived in it and when they heard the news, they became furious. Around the same time, any human that wandered into the field was never found again. It's believed that the witches were the one who kidnapped them and that's why this place is called Witch Hill."

"Your race is the kind that abducts humans?" Kurumu asked Yukari.

"I can't believe you would believe those rumors, Kurumu! You really are gullible," Yukari shot back.

"And you're just an immature brat," Kurumu replied, folding her arms to her chest. Out of nowhere a wash tub appeared and fell onto Kurumu's head, creating a loud bang.

"Hey! What was that all about?!" Kurumu yelled angrily.

"Guys, please stop fighting. But wow, that's pretty scary. I wondered what happened to them," Moka said worried, bringing her hands to her face.

"I mean, it's not that scary to me. I think the civilians are more afraid of the forest at the east end of the beach. A lumberjack once went into the forest to cut wood for the night but he never made it back," Drayce shrugged.

"What happened to him?" Yukari asked, curiosity bubbling inside her.

"They found his body the next morning, everything below the waist was gone. It was kind of disgusting," Drayce replied nonchalantly. "Whoever or whatever was living in the forest made it very clear they didn't want anyone entering it. Anyways, ever since these two occurrences happened, no one really comes here anymore."

"I can't believe you actually know all of this stuff!" Kurumu said, a look of shock and disbelief on her face.

"I mean, considering I grew up here, I think I would be pretty familiar with the stories," Drayce replied with a small grin that sent shivers down the group's back. "Shall we head back? It's almost sunset by this time."

The group turned around, and rather quickly, retreated back to their campsite on the beach. Mizore, Drayce, and Kurumu had already unpack the tents and began to set them up in a U shaped formation. Moka began to cook their dinner while Tsukune moved the ice chest towards the center of their campsite.

"Hey Tsukune! Do ya need help with that?" Yukari asks as she bounds up to the older boy.

"Oh, I think I'm fine Yukari. These might be too heavy for you. Thanks for the offer though," Tsukune replies as he picks up one of the ice chests.

"Oh, okay then. I'll go see if Moka needs any help," Yukari replies. She turns away and walk towards Moka's direction.

"Hey Tsukune, Drayce and Mizore finished setting up the tents already! Let me help you carry a side of that! It's pretty heavy!" Kurumu offered.

"Oh okay. Thanks for your help Kurumu," Tsukune replied, letting the succubus take a side of the box.

Yukari turned back around sadly and rushed up to Moka. "Hey Moka, do you need any help chopping up those carrots?" Yukari asked, once again trying to offer her assistance.

"Oh no! I'm fine Yukari and I can't risk you accidentally yourself with the knife," Moka replied with a concerned filled voice.

"Oh. Okay then," Yukari replied and sulked towards the back of the tents, stationing herself on the cluster of rocks. Pulling up her knees to her chest, the witch stared out towards the sunset.

"Hope I didn't scare you too much with the stories."

Yukari turned to her left to see Drayce holding his bag. "No, it's fine. I'm a lot tougher than I look," the witch replied, putting on a brave face.

"Well, that's certainly good," Drayce agreed.

"Well, I just wish the others could see that. They think that just because I'm young that I can't be of much help," Yukari mumbled, turning her attention back to the setting sun.

"Well, perhaps you can help me while I'm gone?" Drayce asked with a smile.

"How?"

"Make sure the rest of them don't get into too much trouble when I'm not here. Just remember, just because you're younger doesn't mean you can't help in other ways. You just gotta use that great mind of yours," Drayce replied as he walked by her. "If the others ask, tell them that I'll be back by lights out."

"Alright! I guess there does need to be someone to lookout for the others," Yukari decided as she lept of her rock and ran back to the campsite to help facilitate.

Drayce chuckled and continued on his way. He walked along the cliff face and following the shore, occasionally turning back to see their campfire grow smaller and smaller. He continued to walk along the shore until a forest came into view. He grinned to himself before dashing into the woods. Even by his standards, the night was quite with a layer of low hanging fog covering the forest floor. Frowning as he peered into the darkness, his index finger blazed with fire, illuminating the path.

"It's been years. I hope I still remember the way back," he muttered as he trudged deeper and deeper into the foliage.

Stopping for a moment, Drayce listened. Yes, there it was, the rush of a nearby creek! He was getting closer. Following his senses to the sources of running water, he wandered until finding the stream of water.

' _Well, found it. Now I just need to follow it down. Shouldn't take more then five minutes from here,'_ Drayce thinks as he began to follow the flowing water.

True to his estimate, he had reached a small drop five minutes later. Drayce peered over the edge to peer downwards but the fog was thicker, obsurring his vision. Stepping up to the edge, Drayce jumped. His feet hit solid ground again once his head passed through the layer of fog.

It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark but when they did, he scanned his surroundings. His eyes landed right behind the small waterfall the creek made as it flowed of the cliff. Walking around the water curtain, he enters the little hollowed out area before touching the stone wall. His fingers ran over the surface, stopping at a groove in the wall.

Reaching into his bag, he rummaged around before bringing out what he needed. Glancing at the hole and the object in his hand, he brought it up to inspect. It was nothing fancy, a sharp tooth at the end of a small metal stick with a small handle at the end, a key if you will. Sliding the tooth into the hole and turning it, a section of the wall retracted and a new panel slid down with a groan.

He inspected the new panel now in front of him as he put the key away. Near the top of the panel, there were two orbs, one red and one blue but both dull. There were channels leading up to the orbs from the bottom of panel, originating from to indents in the stone. Placing two of his fingers in the indent, he began to concentrate. Fire and ice raced up their own separate lane, zig-zagging across the panel but never intersecting. Both streams ended and touched the orbs at the exact same time, illuminating both of them.

With a sharp groan, a good section of the rock face pulled back and moved out of sight, revealing a hole in the wall big enough for a person to enter. Drayce stepped inside, the tip of his finger blazing with fire for light.

"Where is it? Is swear it was here," Drayce muttered, squinting into the room. "Ah, never mind, here it is."

Drayce lifts a torch of the torch holder and ignites it, widening his range of vision. Walking up to a small niche in the wall, he dipped the torch in the substance and it ignited. The fire traveled within the walls, igniting the other niches until the entire room was illuminated. As Drayce looked around, the fire reflecting off his eye giving him a somewhat crazed look.

"Mom, dad, I've come home."

* * *

"Hey, has anyone seen Yukari or Drayce around?" Kurumu asked worriedly. "I swear they were here."

"Yeah, that's weird. I haven't seen either of them in a while," said Tsukune as he scratched his head.

"Maybe Drayce and Yukari are somewhere in the sunflower patch," Moka suggested. "We can start by searching there."

The group of students nodded and set off towards the winding path to the sunflower field, all searching for any signs of their missing friends. As Tsukune approached the summit, he could see the top of a pointed witch hat.

"Yukari, there you are! Where's Drayce? Oh whoa, who's this?" Tsukune asked.

"Oh Tsukune! This is Ruby, a fellow witc-"

"You!" the witch, whose name was presumably Ruby, shouted. "Come here to defile this sacred place, you human scum?!"

"No, Ruby! You don't understand! He's a friend and he isn't here to destroy the field," Yukari tried again but was ignored as the older witch waved her wand and several nearby plants began to wriggle and move, transforming into creature before launching themselves as Tsukune.

Desperate to intervene, Yukari sent five of her tarot cards airborne, slicing down the rogue plants in a matter of seconds. "Ruby! I won't let you kill my friend!" the younger witch shouted as she raised her own wand.

"No! The bond between witches are stronger than anything else! You can't understand this because you're a child!" Ruby snaps back, waving her wand once more.

A thrall of vines were called forth, binding Yukari and restricting her from moving. Once again, more plants began to transform and came to life, their teeth bared at Tsukune and ready to defend the hill from any and all intruders. Tsukune backed up so quick, he tripped over his own feet and fell onto his backside.

"I'm not a child!" Yukari shouts angrily sending a ring of tarot cards flying outwards, cutting herself loose from her bonds and once again cutting down the wave of monster plants.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Kurumu shouts as she arrives at the scene of the battle, staring at the plant monster corpses. "What happened here?"

"Yukari!" Moka cried out as she ran to hug the child.

"Where's Drayce? Is he with you?" Mizore asked, concern filling her voice.

"No. He went off by himself a few hours ago," Yukari replied. "He just said that he would be back by bedtime. I'm sorry, but he didn't say anything else. Ruby, I'm sorry but I don't think this can work out between us."

The older witch's eyes widened at the words of the younger witch, the prospect of getting rejected hitting her like a sack of bricks causing to clench her wand even tighter.

"Come on then. Let's get you back down to the campsite. Dinner's waiting," Kurumu huffed, picking up Yukari and slinging her over her shoulder.

"Well, I guess if Drayce said he would be back soon, let's go back and wait," Mizore replied as she trailed behind. "And Yukari, you don't have to be so proud and let Kurumu carry you."

"I'm glad you're alright Tsukune," Moka cried, relief over taking her voice as fell to her knees to meet Tsukune at eye level.

"I'm fine Moka," Tsukune assured the vampire as he got to his knees as well. "Really, I am!"

The two began to lean in closer and closer to kiss. Just as their lips were about to make contact, Tsukune's body jerked backwards. "Tsukune, what's wrong?!" Moka cried out in shock.

The boy's eyes were filled with pain as he fell into Moka's lap, his back covered in blood. The green tendril impaled in his back slowly removed itself from its position and snaked away. Moka could only stare at Tsukune's limp body in shock as blood began to stain the grass red. With a distraught scream, a burst of light surrounded Moka as her inner form was unleashed

Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari were all beyond angry. Mizore's hair had turned to ice, her claws forming around her hands and the trees freezing over from the coldness that radiated from her. Kurumu's wings and nails burst out, ready to attack, while Yukari drew out her tarot card.

"How dare you do that to Tsukune!" Kurumu shouted angrily, no, she was beyond angry, she was murderous.

"I will bring the witch back with me because her Ladyship demands it and I will not allow a _human_ to live," Ruby snarled.

With a scream of rage, Kurumu flew towards Ruby and that's when an explosion rocked Witch Hill.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Fucking finally I finish this chapter! I'm sorry that it took longer than it did but final were making my brain explode and I was going at like three words a minute. But now that's all over, I get to publish this on Christmas! Well, technically my family doesn't really celebrate Christmas but whatever. Hope y'all are having a great holiday and I'll see ya in the next chapter but for now, enjoy!**

Ruby was not having a good time. First, her home was now threatened by the one who she _strongly_ suspected to be human, Tsukune was his name she believed. Second, being caught in an explosion at the top of the hill was not an ideal way to end up. In her own right, being a witch meant that they were tougher than the average human but it still hurt _._ She couldn't remember much about the events of last night but what she _did_ know was her ribs were sore. The witch groaned as her eyes fluttered open, still blurry from the lack of use.

"Ah, you're up. I'd take it easy if I were you, that blast did a number on you. I'll be back in a sec. Need to wipe my hands."

She rubbed her eyes before sitting straight up to look around her confined space. It was a four person tent by the looks of it and the tent flap in front of her was unzipped, making for an easy exit. She felt besides her for her wand, panic rising up her throat as she realized it wasn't with her. She tensed up as someone stepped into the tent.

"If you're looking for your wand, here." The boy returned her precious wand back to her and immediately, Ruby pointed it at the stranger's back, her hands shaking slightly.

"I saw the explosion and I got there as fast as I could. Everyone was hurt pretty badly so they were in no condition to help. I had to carry everyone back down here," the boy continued as he wiped his hand with a towel.

"Who are you, you scum? Return me to the hill this instant!" Ruby demanded angrily.

"You're in no condition to fight right now nor is it within our interest to do so. We simply want to hear your story. When you are ready, please come outside and join us for dinner and share your story," the boy replied before walking outside without acknowledging her threat.

Ruby lowered her wand and fell to her knees. She took a deep breath, pondering her choices. Shaking her head she rose up and cautiously walked out of the tent. The immediate smell of roasting meat and seawater met her nose. The delicious smell of food wafted strongly into her nose as a plate of food was shoved in her face. Ruby raised her hand in surprise, taking the plate and observing the contents. On it were three steaming kebabs with fresh beef and bell peppers.

"Come. Sit and eat," the boy from earlier beckoned. "Mizore, throw me a can of tea."

A purple haired girl nodded and walked to a blue cooler and rummaged around the ice before bringing up a can of oolong tea. She tosses the can to the boy who promptly hands it over to Ruby.

"Trying to win me over with food and tea," Ruby muttered.

"It's not like that," Tsukune replied as Drayce and Ruby took a seat at the table. "We just want to hear your point of view about that hill."

"My point of view?" Ruby repeats unsure, looking around the table as the students' eyes were trained on her. Right as she was about to start talking, the distinct sound of chewing at the end of the table was heard. Everyone turned and looked at Drayce who had a piece of beef in his mouth.

He looked up from his meal awkwardly before swallowing. "Uhh, sorry. Tough tendons," he apologised. "I'll try to chew more quietly."

"As I was going to say, that hill has long since been refuge for witches. We had no conflict and led our own peaceful lives and minding our own business," Ruby began but her next sentence took a more distasteful tone. "But then they came barging in selfishly. Destruction and performing so called development for their own selfish gain!"

"They destroyed, broke down, and ruined everything! This is the story of you cruel humans! Oh what's the point in telling you now?" she finished, standing up in anger.

"Ruby…"

"Yukari, you understand right? About our home? In order to protect what we cherished, we must destroy the humans!" Ruby pleaded. "I'm the only one left from my group!"

"But is it really okay killing everyone who's trying to take the hill away from you?" Kurumu asked pointedly.

"I'm only killing humans!"

"But still. Human or monster, a life is a life. Are the values of their life really all that different?" Mizore asked.

"What's wrong with killing humans?" Ruby asked, her body beginning to shake and tense up. "Isn't it fine to kill them?!"

Ruby stood up and threw her can of tea, narrowly missing Tsukune's head as it flew by. "Those idiotic humans!"

"But isn't there another way? To live without fighting, with peace?" Moka asked carefully, not wanting to risk a kebab flying towards her.

"No. It's pointless doing anything now. It is meaningless," Ruby replied coldly. "Her Ladyship is the one who decides on the judgement of the humans."

"Her Ladyship?" Tsukune wondered.

"Judgement huh? No offense to this Ladyship but she sounds really egotistical from the way you say it," Kurumu comments mildly. "I mean, look at it this way. Saying it's okay to hurt people to accomplish your own goals? That's a bit much."

"Yeah but aren't you guys doing things selfishly too?" Mizore asks.

"Isn't that the same as humans?" Kurumu shoots back. "Hey, is that how witches do things?"

"Witches are a bit scary, aren't they?"

"Witches aren't scary!"

"Yeah yeah. Witch brats aren't scary _at all_."

"Hey! There you go again!"

"Shut up! Once that hill is gone, I won't have any place to go!" Ruby bursts out.

"Is that it? If that is the case, you can always come back with us to Yokai Academy," Tsukune suggests.

"Yeah! Although you might feel just a bit lonesome and homesick, the student life is pretty awesome!" Moka agrees.

"Let's study together!" Yukari chimed in."

"And you can also join the Newspaper Club!" Moka suggests.

"Ehhh?! Then there will be two witches! Two!" Kurumu exclaims.

"Yeah! Got a problem?" Yukari asks smugly.

Drayce roars in laughter as Tsukune tried to stop the argument. Ruby looks around in astonishment at the tight knit group's antics. Her body relaxes as she watches them, the fire flickering on their faces. Was this what she wanted? Her thoughts were interrupted by a yawn coming from Drayce as he got up from his seat.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Ruby, you can bunk in Yukari and Kurumu's tent for the night 'kay? Alright great," Drayce said as he got up and walked back to his tent.

"What?! Drayce! How can you do this to me?!" Kurumu wailed.

"Not my problem!" he yelled sleepily from inside his tent.

Within the hour, everyone had returned to their respective tents and had fallen asleep. The night was silent except for the calm crashing sound of the waves washing up to the beach shore. Ruby laid awake in the spare sleeping bag, unable to sleep. Her head was whirling with thoughts, trying to process the events that happened in the past two days.

" _I must return. I cannot stay here any longer,"_ she decided. Slipping quietly out of the sleeping bag, she crept quietly to the tent flap, careful not to wake the two other sleeping girls. Even this in itself was such as challenge as the two girls seemed to be everywhere in their sleep. As if to prove her point, Kurumu rolled over in her sleep, plopping down her hand on the spot where Ruby was about to step on. Giving an exasperated sigh, Ruby skirted along the edge of the tent and tiptoed out.

As she breathed in the seaside air, she let out the breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. The moonlight shone brightly on the waters of the sea, reflecting a shimmering image back to her. As she turned to leave, a glint caught her eye. She turned around to the table and sitting in the sand, under the moonlight, was the can of tea she had thrown earlier. For a reason unbeknownst to even herself, she had picked up the can.

"This is stupid. I should drop this," she muttered quietly to herself as she leaves with the tea in one hand and her wand in the other. But despite her protests, she couldn't bring herself to let go of the one stupid can of tea. Raising her wand and casting a spell, wings sprouted out from Ruby's back. Flapping the powerful black angel wings, she was lifted into the air.

Within a few minutes, Ruby had managed to return to the house. Placing a hand on the door, she twisted the handle and pushed it open. She made her way up to the creaky stairs and down the corridor to the last room. Pushing open the door, Ruby stepped inside tentatively.

"Your Ladyship, I'm back," Ruby began but before she could say more vines from the darkness of the room hurtled towards her, binding her arms to her body painfully and constricting her. "My Ladyship, I'm sorry! I will never betray you again!"

The vines snaked around the dropped can of tea and wrapping around around the drink, squeezing it. The metal swelled from the pressure and when it couldn't take it anymore, the can exploded.

* * *

"Guys! Wake up! Ruby's gone!"

"Drayce! Drayce, wake up!" Tsukune shouted as he slapped his friend's face. As Tsukune brought his arm back for another slap, Drayce's eye snapped open and he tackled Tsukune to the ground, an ice knife at his throat.

"Drayce! It's me, Tsukune," the boy groaned under his friend's immense strength.

Drayce blinked a few times before getting off his friend. "Wha? Sorry about that Tsukune. What's happening?"

"Ruby's gone! She's not in the tent. The rest of us are getting ready to search for her," Tsukune explained.

Drayce narrows his eyes and helps Tsukune up. "Go. I'll be out in a sec. Go and check the hill. I have a sinking suspicion that she returned to the house and if that's true, prepare for a fight."

"What?! A fight?!" Tsukune remarks shocked.

"Yep. Try not to piss your pants too much yeah?" Drayce smirked as he pulled on his trenchcoat. "Let's go!"

Drayce charged out of the tent with a sputtering Tsukune in tow. Meeting up with the rest of their friends, they began running to the hilltop.

"We're getting close. Stay on guard," Drayce warned. "Ruby can be anywh-"

A thick vine swept out in front of the group slamming right into Drayce's chest and sending him flying. Smaller vines raced past the group, tangling and ensnaring them, rendering them immobile and useless.

"What?! Ruby?!" Tsukune exclaimed, shining his flashlight at the witch.

"I will not let you get any further on this hill," she declared coldly.

"Ruby, wait! There must be some other way!" Moka cried from her restraints.

"Ruby, Moka's right! Let's think about it!" Yukari pleaded.

"Shut up! There is no other way!" Ruby shouted as she raised her wand to the sky. A gust of wind blasted from the ground as it came to life, wriggling and flowing as the creatures dug themselves out from underneath.

Behind them, a pillar of fire exploded and Drayce was propelled upwards, landing with a crunch in front of the group.

"I see. You are tougher than the others," Ruby observed.

"And you'll be more annoying than I thought," Drayce shot back as he stood up.

With his right hand, he reach over to just below his left armpit. His body turned into ice and a hilt was pushed out from his side. Grasping the hilt, he pulled the rest of the blade free, the ice all the way down his leg breaking and cracking off. The ice reformed before melting away.

"When did you get a sword?" Kurumu demanded, staring at the double edged blade in Drayce's hand.

"I stopped by my parent's old treasury and figured this might come in use. Guess I'm being proven right," Drayce replied as he raised the blade. The entire sword was made of the same black metal with red runes running along the center of the actual blade. The runes on the blade were glowing and pulsating softly.

"No matter! These plants are her Ladyship's faithful servants, charged with the protection of this hill," Ruby declared.

"Tsukune, stay back," Kurumu shouted as her nails elongated, slashing free of her bind.

A ring of plant monsters surged forward and surrounded Tsukune, ready to strike him down but before he got the chance, they were all frozen solid. A hail of tarot cards came flying in, cutting down the frozen beasts.

"Yukari! Mizore!" Tsukune exclaimed.

"It's too dangerous! We won't let one finger touch you!" Yukari shouted.

"No! Moka is still trapped!" Tsukune shouted as he tore away from the group to chase after the girl.

The seemingly endless waves of creature began to attack, carrying Moka and Tsukune away in their heaving chittering tides. Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore were about to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. The only one who the creatures had trouble with was Drayce, who was searing one monster after another with his flames like they were tissue paper.

From up above in the sky, Ruby gazed at the battle with intense concentration. She scrunched her eyebrows and went for the kill. "Rip them all to shreds!" she ordered the creatures.

* * *

" _My legs...I can't move them! I can't move anything! And Moka, I can still hear her screams. Even though my opponents are monsters, what can I, a human do?"_ Tsukune thought desperately. " _Please Moka! Tell me what I can do!"_

Amongst the darkness of the creatures, he could see a familiar shape. With the greatest effort he could muster, he shoved his hand through the plant monsters' bodies until his hand closed around his goal. With the smooth cold metal in his grasp, he gave a good tug and the sea of monster was enveloped in a pink light.

From above, Ruby watch as the blast took out all the plant monster within a thirty foot radius, wind whirling around the center origin point. Her eyes widened as she began to see the cause of the blast. Amidst the light, she could make out a single shape. Even from the distance, there was no mistaking the silver hair and blood red eyes. A vampire had entered the battlefield.

"You idiot. You always overdo thing don't you?" Moka sighed. "But I suppose my life was saved, thanks to you."

Narrowing her eyes, Ruby flew towards Moka, only to be kicked away into a pile of plant corpses. Struggling to rise up from the strike, Ruby raised her wand, the magic stick shining brightly. "I will...protect Witch Hill! That is my duty...and her Ladyship's wish!" she shouted.

The dull eyes of the fallen plant creatures began to glow once again, the scraps pulled together and reforming them anew. Drayce stared at the creature angrily as they reformed before his eyes. "These bastards come back huh? And they're bigger," he muttered. "This is gonna get ugly real quick unless something is done."

"Tsukune!"

Drayce turned his attention to the boy who was trapped in a cocoon of vines. He watched as Moka leaped to set him free only for more to grab her feet and slam her into the ground, all the while Ruby laughed maniacally. "This is her Ladyship's desire, her wish, her ambition!" she shouted as the others braced against Ruby's onslaught of attacks.

"Who is this Ladyship?" Tsukune asked wondered. His eyes wandered to the house in the distance, widening as he understood. "Ladyship?"

A vine slashed his face, drawing blood. Seeing this, Moka burst free from her binds and kicks Tsukune free from the cocoon. As soon as he hits the ground, he begins to run.

"Tsukune! Where are you going?" Yukari shouts.

"To talk to her Ladyship!" he yells over his shoulder as he runs. "She's in that house!"

"Gotcha! Cover Tsukune while he moves!" Drayce roars as he chars another creature to ash. "Mizore! Look out!"

The girl turns to see a pair of jaws lunge forward and bite down. She screams in pain as the sharp teeth sinks into her shoulder. The creature lifts her up and throws her aside. Drayce screams in rage and smashes his way to his fallen girlfriend. When he reaches her, he cradles her in his arms, shielding her from further harm. Seeing this, a swarm of monsters descend upon the two, ready to rip them apart.

"Mizore, Drayce!" Kurumu shouts in horror as she watches two of her friends disappear under a mound of the creatures. "No!"

A primal roar from underneath the pile of bodies sounded as they were all thrown off with explosive force. Drayce was standing hunched over, his eye was glowing red. " _ **You. You made my friends angry. You made them cry and worst of all, you made Mizore BLEED!"**_ he roars angrily. " _ **And for that, you will pay."**_

He strikes the ground with his fist and a wave of blue fire sweeps outwards, burning the creatures. Instead of turning into ash, the creatures began fading into the shadows and disappearing. "Wha-what's going on? Where did they go?" Ruby asked, watching incredulously.

" _ **My flames have burned their souls. They cannot come back from that and you're next,"**_ Drayce growled, his hands now ablaze with fire.

* * *

Tsukune slid to a stop at the foot of the mansion. He panted as he looked at the snaking vines on the ground, leading who knows where into the house. Hesitantly, he place a hand on the door and pushed it open slowly.

"I see. So these are what's controlling them and Ruby," Tsukune muttered as he followed the vines up the stairs. He continued to follow the vines into the last room of the corridor and pushed open the door. The room was separated by a curtain and through the gap, he could see a hooded figure sitting hunched over in a chair with a mirror in front of them.

"Are you her Ladyship? If so, please release Ruby because at this rate-" Tsukune began but as he got closer, his eyes widened.

He could see her reflection. She was dead. And she had been dead for a long time, as evident by the state of decomposition she was in. Unable to look at the reflection any longer, he grabbed the nearest item and threw it as hard as he could at the mirror, shattering it. Wasting no time, he raced out the room and back out the mansion, determined to tell Ruby what he had discovered.

By the time he had returned to the scene of the fight, a good portion of the field was on fire. Drayce was standing by himself, his one eye glowing red, his chest heaving with each breath he took. He creatures he was face were impossible huge and only did he manage to keep them at bay with the help of his sword which was now wreathed with fire. Behind the wall of creatures was a gigantic ball of vines with Moka, Yukari, Kurumu and Mizore entangled in it.

"You all shall receive your punishment for hurting Witch Hill!" Ruby screamed.

"Wait!" Tsukune shouted as he stepped forward.

"You idiot! Run!" Moka shouted from the tangle of vines.

"Ruby! If you continue this, no one will be happy!" Tsukune shouted.

"Shut up! At least for her Ladyship's sake will i-"

"Ruby! Her Ladyship is dead!" Tsukune shouted.

"Dead? No, that's a lie! It has to be!" Ruby shouted back, her head shaking and her eyes shut tight.

 **Flashback Begins**

" _Ruby."_

" _Ladyship?"_

" _I may have become foolish. I'm afraid if I follow through with my plans, I will be no different than those humans," she said, ending with a coughing fit._

 _Ruby immediately rushes to her side, holding her shoulders._

" _Ruby, please forgive me. I'm going to leave you alone again. I will always...be….with…...you," the elder witch spoke and as she took her last breath, her eyes closed and her hand fell limp to her side._

 **Flashback Ends**

"Ruby, you should've known that she wasn't here anymore! You just don't want to admit it so you created an image of her inside your own mind," Tsukune explained.

"No, no, NOOO!" Ruby screamed, tears pouring down her face as she raised her wand into the sky, a bright light enveloping her. From the ground, the biggest plant creature they ever saw erupted out, it's multiple jaws opening and closing

"No, Ruby! Don't!" Yukari screamed as she watched.

"What? What is she doing?" Kurumu asked in horror as she watch the beast.

"If she uses the forbidden magic, she'll never return to her original form again," Yukari wailed.

"In short, she's gone off the deep end," Moka finished.

A bolt of pink energy struck down and the beast began to transform. Vines wrapped around Ruby's limbs, placing her in the center mouth of the beast. Lashing out with a tendril, the entire section before the crazed witch was obliterated. "Die! Everybody should die!" she shouted gleefully.

"Argh, damn it!" Drayce growled as he fell to his knees. "Not yet damn it, this isn't over!"

"Drayce, you shouldn't push yourself too hard!" Tsukune exclaimed as he ran over to support his friend.

"I know but I can't rest until we stop Ruby! Come on, we need to free the others first and we need to get Mizore help. She lost a lot of blood!" Drayce said as he struggled to stand up.

"Tsukune! Toss me my wand!" Yukari shouted from the ball of vines.

"Your wand?" Tsukune looked around and a few paces away, he saw Yukari's wand lying in the grass. Tsukune ran to it, picked it up, and threw it towards Yukari who promptly caught it.

Yukari waved it and Kurumu's shoe came off. The succubus looked at her friend with a smirk before nodding. Her toenails shot out and sliced the the two free from the vines.

"Kurumu, get Mizore down to Drayce and free Moka!" Yukari shouted.

"Got it! Drayce, take care of Mizore! I'll never forgive you if she dies!" Kurumu shouted as she cut Mizore loose.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied with a grin as he caught Mizore.

"Guys, we have one chance to defeat Ruby! Destroy her wand and she can't use magic!" Yukari shouted. "Moka, we need you to break her wand! Even though she won't revert, please, save Ruby!"

With that, Yukari sent her tarot cards flying towards Ruby's face, blinding her momentarily but just enough. By the time the witch regained her vision, it was just in time to see Moka dive towards her wand. She lashed out desperately to stop Moka but the vampire was too quick, weaving through her defenses and shattering the wand with one kick. A massive wave of energy was released as the wand broke. The giant creature shuddered and exploded.

" _Ruby. What is your favorite thing?"_

" _My favorite thing? Umm, ice cream and after that…"_

" _Oh, there's more?"_

" _Yup! And this hill as well! I love you so much!"_

* * *

The next morning, the group was still sad about what happened with Ruby. No one was really in the mood to talk.

"How's the shoulder Mizore?" Drayce asked softly as he hugged her tighter.

"It's better, thanks to you," Mizore whispered back, kissing Drayce on the cheek.

"In the end, we couldn't do anything," Moka sighed sadly.

"Yeah. I wish things could've ended differently," Kurumu agreed.

"Hey guys! Sorry for making you all wait for so long! I got us a ton of delicious looking fish," Ms. Nekonome called out as she approached the group. "Huh? Is it already time to go back?"

"Sorry for being late!"

"Huh?! That voice is-" Moka began as they turned to see who it was.

"Gin!"

"Hey what's with all the gloomy looks?" Gin asked frowning, tilting his head. "Your club leader just finished his makeup lessons. You guys should be happy."

The group could only stare at what was in his arms.

"Ruby?!"

"Eh? You know this girl?" Gin asked confused.

"Yeah, we do!" Yukari exclaimed.

"No way. I just recently found her out by the beach like she was protecting something," Gin replied.

"Like she was protecting something…" Tsukune repeated as he looked at Ruby's face. It was no longer twisted with malice or anger but instead, happy and peaceful, like she was in a better place.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, I finished this chapter early so I just thought I would post it. Trying to stay ahead while I can and speaking of which, I should probably get back to my AoT story. Haven't updated in half a year. Sheesh. Anyways, I didn't feel comfortable skipping to the next school term so I did this chapter which led to some much needed fluff for the two, at least in my opinion. Enjoy!**

"Mizore, do you have everything packed?" Drayce asked as he stuffed the last of his socks inside his duffel bag.

Out of everyone that was leaving and returning back home, Drayce and Mizore were the last of the Newspaper Club to leave, that was with the exception of Tsukune. For reasons only known to himself, the boy had decided to stay in the human world but not go home. Where he would stay was beyond Drayce but somehow, he still seemed to be managing.

"I already have my stuff by the door. I'm just waiting on you to finish up," Mizore replied as she watched Drayce pack from his bed.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Your mom is gonna freak out when she sees me," Drayce asked.

"She's going to freak either way. The longer we wait, the more distressing it's going to be," Mizore pointed out.

Drayce sighed as he tugged the zipper close. "Been years since I last saw the village. What changed?"

"You only ask now? I mean, not much really. Several more houses were built but mostly everything is the same," Mizore replied. "Ready?"

"I guess I'm as ready as I can be," Drayce answered with a shrug, picking up Mizore's bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "After you m'lady."

Mizore giggled as she swept out of the room and into the hallway. Drayce set down his bag and closed his door, locking it behind him. "Not gonna be here until the next term starts. Never thought I'd say this but I might miss the dorms, actually."

"I could do with a break. At least you don't have to listen to girls arguing all the time," Mizore replied as they walked down the stairs.

"Yeah yeah. But anyways, I got something to show you when we get on the bus, something important that might help you understand a little bit better," Drayce started.

"What?"

"Wait till we get on the bus."

"Why?"

"Mizore, it's at the bottom of my bag. Unless you want me to take out everything and repack just so I can take it out, we'll miss our ride."

The two made their way to the bus stop, the school growing more and more distant in the background. The walk to the bus was silent except for the occasional squeak of a bat or the crunch of fallen leaves. The winding path down the hill was rocky, loose with pebbles. One misstep would mean a very unpleasant plummet down the hill but the two managed to get down without a problem. The bus was already waiting for them, the bus driver leaning against the side of his vehicle while smoking a cigar. Noticing the pair's arrival, the driver grinned and stomped out the stick of tobacco.

"You kids ready? Then all aboard," he said grinning.

Mizore and Drayce boarded the bus and moved quickly towards the back of the vehicle. Setting his back aside, Drayce unzipped his bag and dug around the bottom. Closing his hand around what he was looking for, he pulled it out for Mizore to see. The snow woman gasped as she laid eyes on the golden scroll in Drayce's hands. Unfurling the scroll, Mizore could see three columns, all illuminated in different colors with the exception of the leftmost segment. Mizore studied the scroll but couldn't make out a single word.

"These runic markings, what are they? What does it say?" Mizore asked in a hushed tone.

"Wait a sec, I'll get to that but first, look at this now," Drayce instructed quietly. The right side of his body turned to ice and split apart, revealing the black sword he used in the fight against Ruby's creatures.

"You keep that thing inside you?" Mizore asked incredulously.

"Uh, yeah. How else am I supposed to carry a sword without raising multiple alarms around the school?" Drayce asked, rolling his eyes. "But take a look at the blade. Do you notice anything similar?"

Mizore's eyes swept over the blade, landing on the runes imprinted on the blade. Glancing back at the scroll, she could recognize some of the familiar characters. "Your sword has the same runes as the scroll," she began slowly.

"Right, now remember the day we fought Ms. Ririko?" Drayce asked as he stowed away his sword.

"The slut of a teacher? Yeah I do," Mizore replied.

"After you guys left me from the nurse, the Headmaster came in and gave me this. This scroll apparently belonged to my parents but why they never showed it to me or told me anything about it is still a mystery to me," Drayce admitted. "Now this is the only section that we can see."

"Why are the rest of the sections unreadable?" Mizore asked. "Why only the red?"

"Because recall back to the actual fight, near the end. What did you see?" Drayce asked, leading Mizore towards the answer.

"Well, you started-" Mizore began but cut herself off. "Oh, I get it!"

"Yeah, you see? What the headmaster thinks is that this scroll is tied to me somehow. He came in and asked me about it directly," Drayce said as he looked up, trying to blink away the spots from the bright light emanating from the scroll.

"Can you read it? The runes look unfamiliar to me," Mizore asked as she touched the markings.

"Yeah I can but it doesn't really give anything important. It's just a fairy tale," Drayce said, making a face as he reread the markings.

"Who knows? Mother always said the smallest detail may be the most important one," Mizore replied.

"Of course she did. What? Didn't she used to want to be a spy when she was little?" Drayce asked.

"Yeah, she did. Her passion didn't stop there though. It got a bit...much," Mizore replied.

"What do you mean?" Drayce asked confused.

"Tell me the story and I might tell you," Mizore replied smugly.

"Well I was gonna tell you anyways but let me see. Ah, here we go," Drayce cleared his voice before narrating. "It begins with a king, who ruled a kingdom of a distant land. It is said that one day, the king found an abandoned pair of twins, a brother and a sister. The king sent the two off to learn the ancient magic but the two split up, going down their own paths. Soon, the two began to constantly argue over the superiority of their magic. When the old king finally died, the arguments turned to war, both side bearing heavy loss. What was once a prospering kingdom was reduced to nothing more than two warring tribes as a result."

"That's it?" Mizore asked slightly disappointed as she watched Drayce roll back up the scroll.

"That's it. Like I told you, it's just a simple fairy tale, nothing of use. Well, nothing useful to me at least," Drayce replied as he stuffed it back into his bag. "But if we can somehow uncover the rest of the scroll, maybe it can give us more clues to why my parents had it."

"I don't mean to break up the conversation but, we've arrived at the snow mountains. Please get all of your baggage ready. Anything you leave behind, you won't get until I come back to pick you all up," the bus driver alerted.

Drayce a Mizore immediately pressed their face to the window, eager at the prospect of returning home. The sight was still as splendid as when Drayce first laid eyes on it, with a flurry of snow flying around, pure white sheets of it covered the mountains and nestled right in the center was the village, lively with lights and lanterns.

"This never gets old," Drayce breathed as he greedily took everything in with his eyes.

The bus grinds to a halt at the base of the mountains and Drayce leaps up, grabbing his duffel bag while Mizore pulls her out from underneath the seat. The two make their way to the door as it hisses open, letting them out.

"Thank you sir. See you when the new term starts," Drayce said as he threw his bag of the bus.

"Alright, you too Mr. Tatsugami. Take care," the bus driver chuckled before closing the doors, backing out, and driving away.

"He seems nice," Mizore quips as she watches the yellow and green bus make its way back up the mountains and disappear. "Come on, mom is waiting at home."

"Lead the way. I barely remember the path anyways," Drayce said as he pulled his coat closer to him. "And I apparently also forgot how cold it can get."

"Says the guy who can turn into ice. Suck it up," Mizore laughs. "This way, past the center square. We're near the outskirts of the village."

"Oh yeah. Kind of makes grocery shopping a bit annoying right?" Drayce asks as he trudges along.

"Yeah. You crashed into one of the stall from what? Trying to skate there too fast?" Mizore recalls.

"Okay! In my defense, they had a freaking sale on okay? I had to get there quickly! How many times have we been through that?!"

"Your hair smelled like fish for a week."

"Just...walk."

* * *

Tsurara put her book down on the coffee table and began to pace in her living room as she glanced at the clock. It was four now. Mizore should be home any minute now. Her husband, Yama, looked up from the newspaper and stood up, folding it neatly.

"Don't worry. She'll be back soon. I'm sure she has a lot to tell us about," he said warmly, placing an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"I know honey, I'm just nervous to hear how she's been, is all. And if she's found someone yet or if she-"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"See? There she is now," her husband said cheerfully. "Nothing to worry about, right? I'll go get the tea started."

Tsurara watched as her husband strode off to the kitchen to prepare the tea. Shaking her head, she threw open the door to see Mizore standing there. Hugging her daughter, she planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Ohh, Mizore! How have you been? I've missed you so much!" she said as she continued to hug her daughter. "Have you found a boyfriend yet."

"I'm fine mom and please stop asking me that question, it gets annoying," she mumbles while she glares at Drayce who was doubled up with silent laughter behind the door. "Mom, there's someone I want you to meet."

Drayce immediately stops and mouths to her panicked ' _I wasn't ready'_. "Who is it? Is it your boyfriend? I'm surprised you didn't tell me earlier Mizore," her mother said quirking her eyebrow.

"He's..right...here," Mizore grunts as she pulls Drayce from behind the door and in front of her mother. Tsurara stares at Drayce in shock as the boy looks back with a small smile.

"Hey auntie," he says, giving a small wave with one hand, the other grabbing Mizore's hand.

Tsurara reached out with a hand to touch his face, as if to make sure he was actually there. Her hand began to tremble as tears began to pool to her eyes. "Oh my god. How-how is this…?"

She could barely finish her sentence. Drayce stepped forward and hugged his foster mother tightly. "I'm back."

Quickly drying her tears, she composed herself. "Come inside, you must have quite the story to tell. Yama! Hurry with the tea!"

"On it honey. Who else is here-?" Yama stopped in his tracks as his eyes landed on Drayce, alive and well with a grin on his face.

"Uncle Yama, it's been a while," Drayce began, placing his bag on the ground beside. Yama broke out of his stupor, his smile growing by the second.

"Come, tea is ready. We're all eager to hear your story," Yama spoke as he set the tea tray down on the coffee table.

Drayce sighed as he looked around the house. Crystal lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room with a slightly blue tinted light. It was very traditional overall, nothing too special but hey, home was home.

"How did you two meet each other?" Yama asked as he poured Drayce and Mizore each a cup of tea.

"Well, it's not what you would have expected to happen. We were already like a week into school when Mizore showed up," Drayce began.

"Because she was sick. We had to send her a little later," Tsurara agreed, taking her cup of tea.

"Right but as you can imagine, I kind of freaked out a bit and ditched class for the rest of the day," Drayce recounted.

"So when he ran out, I thought that he was angry at me for leaving him to die. I ended up ditching class as well after lunch," Mizore continued softly.

Drayce squeezed her hand before continuing. "After hearing about this from my other friends, I ran and searched for Mizore," he said, his voice taking a darker turn as he revealed the next part. "And when I found her, the fucking PE teacher was trying to take advantage of her."

"WHAT?" both parents yelled, looking at Mizore in concern.

"I pummeled the damn pedophile, I mean of course I did, why wouldn't I? And the damn coward scuttled off. Still angry that the headmaster didn't fire him immediately," Drayce growled.

"We can't thank you enough for saving Mizore's innocence," Tsurara thanked, relief in her eyes. "Mizore, you are to not leave his side. We cannot risk anything like that happening."

"Mother, don't worry. We have great friends and besides, I would never leave him," Mizore replied, tackling Drayce with a hug.

"It's true auntie. We have a friend that's a vampire. Anyone gets the wrong idea and they get kicked half a mile away by Moka," Drayce said from underneath Mizore.

"It seems that you are all doing great then. That's good to know," Yama declared after draining his cup.

"Well, I feel that the school's been treating us well enough. Can't say the same about Tsukune though," Drayce chortles as he sits up.

"Tsukune? Who is he?" Tsurara asked with interest.

"He's one of our friends. He has three girls that are constantly trying to win his love. Moka, the vampire, Yukari, she's a witch, and Miss Titty Pie," Mizore summed up.

"Really? The name calling? I thought you were past that Mizore," Drayce groaned as he flopped back onto the couch.

"What? Can't help if that's how Kurumu is. Always pushing her boobs into Tsukune's face, suffocating him," Mizore points out.

"I mean, that's true but that's not as bad as Moka sucking his blood every single day," Drayce replied lifting up his head.

"Kurumu? Does she have blue hair?" Tsurara asked curiously looking at the couple's nodding heads. "Succubus is her monster form?"

"Yeah, why?" Mizore asked.

"That's Ageha's daughter. We were rivals back when we went to Youkai Academy," Tsurara replied.

"Wait, seriously?! You never told me that!" Mizore said, shocked that her mother knew her friends mom from so long ago.

"From what I'm hearing, she got Ageha's habit with men!" Tsurara declared. "Stealing other boys for herself."

"Funny story about that actually," Drayce began. "Before we were friends, Kurumu actually had a major rivalry with Moka because all the guys were interested in her instead. So she charmed Tsukune away from Moka and she tried to do the same to me. Emphasis on tried."

"Oh, so you managed to resist a succubus's charm, eh?" Yama asked in amusement. "I expect nothing less! Well then, I'm sure you can understand that we weren't expecting you so we didn't clean your room. It's still the way you left it."

"Oh no, that's fine. I can clean it up by tonight," Drayce tried, only to be interrupted by Tsurara.

"You needn't bother with that. You can sleep with Mizore in her room tonight," she said suggestively.

"Wha-? Come on Mizore, really?" Drayce protested as he looked at Mizore, who was blushing extremely hard as she understood her mother's implications.

"I wouldn't mind," Mizore said embarrassed, raising her hands to cover her cheeks.

"Yes and while you're here, we can talk about wedding arrangements as well," Yama joked.

"Wedding arrangements?!" Drayce exclaimed weakly.

"Come on," Mizore said, planting a kiss on Drayce's cheek as she dragged him upstairs. "We're fixing you a place to sleep tonight."

"O-okay."

Tsurara and Yama laughed as they watched their daughter drag Drayce upstairs and disappear into the hallway. "It's good to see them together again," Tsurara said to Yama, listening to a door shut.

"It certainly is."

* * *

"Wow."

Drayce looked around Mizore's room, gazing at her possessions. The room was repainted to a lavender purple color with a single light on the ceiling. Her dresser sat in the corner of her room with her desk on the opposite side of the room and her bed in between the two. It was very simple, organized.

"I repainted while you were gone. What do you think?" Mizore asked as she bounced on her bed.

"It suits you. I remember you used to have poster around your room. You took them down," Drayce observed.

"Yeah, I grew out of them," Mizore replied.

Drayce looked on her desk and picked up a photo. It was him and Mizore when they were kids. He was sitting on the ground while Mizore peeked out from above his head, her arms around his shoulders, legs wrapped around his waist. He laughed as he turned around to show her the photo.

"Do you remember this? This moment?" he asked.

"Yeah. It was when you first told me that I was your best friend. You promised that you would never leave my side," Mizore said, her voice full of nostalgia. "Even so many years later…"

Drayce placed the photo back on her desk and sat down next to her, tilting her head up. Before Mizore even knew what was happening, his lips were already on hers. Her eyes widened in shock at first but she closed them, kissing back and enjoying the moment. When the two broke apart, Mizore could see that his eye was filled with love and happiness. Her heart fluttered with joy and her body filled with an indescribable warmth.

Cuddling closer next to him, the pair stayed that way. Inside, they could care less if the world ended right then and there. Just as long as they had each other, they knew they would be fine because they weren't alone, not anymore.


	10. New Changes

**A/N: Okay, quick update. School's a bitch, so is life (but what's new?), wifi went down for the past week, dying from SAT prep, and watch some good movies.**

 **BUT. I am here to announce several things concerning multiple things that have to do with my stories. The Monster Within (Rosario + Vampire) is way overdue for a chapter. I know that but progress is slow, only got a thousand words or so on the next chapter.**

 **Second thing, it's been more than half a year since I updated Of Monsters and Men (Attack on Titan). Let's be real, it's trash at this point. I tried to put to many things in it at once and now it's confusing even me. I'm gonna do a rewrite so expect that to come soon(?). I'll talk about scheduling later.**

 **Third thing, I'm going to start a new story with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Just letting you guys know.**

 **Finally, scheduling. I'm going to be rotating around which stories I update and when. This month, I'm working on Rosario + Vampire. Next month will be the release of the Into the Spider-Verse story. Lastly, the month after that will be my rewritten story for Attack on Titan. It will alternate between the three but at this point, it might crash and fail. I'll try my best to stick by this. No promises though.**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Holy shit, I am back and at em' with a new chapter for one of your favourite stories (hopefully)! This was one of my longer chapters and I won't say much else. Please enjoy and if any of you are reading my Spider-Verese story, I'll see you there for the update!**

"Mizore, Drayce! Time to wake up!"

Drayce groans as he rolls over in bed, thoroughly annoyed by the wake-up call. He feels a slender arm pull him back to his original position which he complies to without resistance.

"Few more minutes," Mizore mumbles as she pulls the sheets closer to her side.

"Mizore, we don't have a few minutes. Today's move in day. We can't be late for the bus," Drayce groans as he attempts to remove himself from the bed.

Drayce rubs his eye as he makes his way to the air conditioner and shuts it off. Mizore simply watches as her boyfriend looks around the room bemused. He wore a simple white tee shirt and a pair of black shorts. His hair, which he was currently tending to, was messy as usual. She watches amused as he tousels his hair several times until it looked normal.

"Why you never use a comb is still a mystery to me," Mizore comments off offhandedly.

"Hey, if it ain't broke," Drayce shrugs as he grabs his black jeans from atop his wardrobe. "And at this point, I'm not even surprised that you sneak into my room to sleep with me. It's become a thing for you this summer."

Mizore blushes as she slides out of his bed, dressed in her iris purple pajamas which complemented her hair quite nicely. "Better get dressed," Drayce calls from inside his bathroom as he wrestles on his jeans.

Quietly slipping out of Drayce's room and back into her own, she grabs her usual outfit for the day, a black singlet with a white sweatshirt on top, a brown pleated skirt, her belt which she wore on her thigh, and her stockings. She glances at her reflection in the mirror, turning to her sides to get a better view of her outfit. Satisfied with her choice, she enters her bathroom to brush her teeth.

Five minutes later, she walks downstairs to the dining table to see Drayce crunching down on a piece of toast.

"Good morning Mizore," her mother greeted warmly as she slid her plate of food onto the table. "Sleep well?"

"As well as I could mother," Mizore replied before starting at her food.

Her father was already at the table, drinking a cup of tea with the day's paper in his hand.

"Your bags are already at the door. Whenever you two are ready to go, I can help bring them to the bus," Yama said as he flipped the page.

"Do you think we'll get Ms. Nekonome again for homeroom?" Drayce asked as he reached for his cup of water.

"Probably. We are in her club so I think she wants to keep us as her students," Mizore replied.

A knocking sound rings out and Yama stands up, setting down his newspaper. "I'll get it. I wonder who it is."

Drayce looks at Mizore as her dad opens the door. "Hello, who are you? Hey, where are you going?"

The clunky sound of boots and the clinking sound of armor could be heard as the "visitors" stormed the house. Within several seconds, a dozen or so of the village warriors were in their living room followed by Yama.

"Please pardon the intrusion," a female voice spoke. "We know you must be sending your children off back to school so we'll try to make this meeting brief."

Ten minutes later, Drayce finds himself sitting across from the Snow Priestess with his own cup of tea. It's been five minutes since they both sat down and neither of them has spoken a word yet. Everyone else is in the living room, silently waiting for the meeting to end. Drayce glances at the clock, tapping his foot on the floor.

"Eager to get back to school?"

The Ice Priestess's words brings him out of his deep thought. "More concerned about catching the bus," Drayce replies.

"I wouldn't be so hasty if I were you, Mr. Tatsugami. I foresee nothing good for you," she says icily.

"I think I'll take my chances," Drayce replies.

"I'm afraid you misunderstood me. Your situation is unavoidable but whether you survive or not is up to chance," the priestess said before standing up and leaving Drayce alone in the kitchen.

He throws his hands up into the air and sighs in exasperation. "Why is everyone so damn cryptic these days?"

* * *

"Come on! It's the first day of our second year and we're already printing?" Drayce complains as Kurumu drops a stack of blank newspapers into his arms to take to the printer.

"Uh Kurumu, you do know that this fashion trend went out years ago right?" Tsukune asks as he thumbs through the sample paper.

"No fooling around! We have a deadline to meet," announces Kurumu.

"Wow, you really are passionate about this club aren't you?" Moka notes as she ties a length of twine around a stack of papers.

"Of course! Why would I not be? We poured our hearts and soul into these pages!" Kurumu declares.

"The fifth stack is done printing," Yukari aid as she places the newspaper onto Moka's table. "How many more do we need?"

"We finish all of them. How many are left?" Tsukune asks.

"I don't know. Mizore is helping Drayce with the printer right now so there can't be too much more," Yukari replies as she adjusts her hat. "They also said to hand out what we have now. They'll bring the rest in a few minutes."

"Alright! Let's get these papers passed out!" Kurumu declares as she picks up a stack of the paper and rushes out the door.

Moka quickly ties the last of the papers and tosses a pack to Tsukune before following in suit with Yukari at their heels. The trio sprints to catch up with Kurumu arriving only a few seconds at the school gate only a few seconds behind her.

"Hey, it looks like a crowd is gathering at the gates," Tsukune notes as he slows down to a walk.

"It looks like there's trouble. We better see what's going on," Moka says. "Hey Kurumu!"

"I can't believe them!" the succubus growls through gritted teeth. "The damn nerve of them. I've had enough. Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh it's you. We're passing out our newspaper," a purple haired girl replies with a smug grin.

"Hold up. Are you guys even a club?" Yukari asks, peeping over.

"Rest assured that we are, indeed, a real club. It's just that we found your news articles to be so boring," the girl continues to speak, her voice filled with mockery. "So we decided to form our own club, the Super Newspaper Club and the president is me, Keito!"

"Well then Keito, you can take you and your stinking-" Kurumu begins before a firm hand on her shoulder stops her mid sentence.

"Kurumu, we are not below them. Do not call them names," Drayce mutters as he drops the stack of newspapers in his hands. "Keito was it?"

"Indeed and you are?" Keito questions.

"Drayce Tatsugami. If you do indeed find our writing boring, I welcome your enthusiasm for your type of writing," Drayce begins, his words bringing a smirk onto Keito's face but he wasn't done yet.

"However, if you do choose to impose on us in the form of your own newspaper, you should know that there will be competition. I bid you good day," Drayce finishes with a slight bow, extending his hand outwards as a gesture to leave with a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Very well. Girls, let's go," Keito huffs, knowing she had lost this battle.

"At least they're gone. Now we can hand out our newspapers like we're supposed to," Kurumu huffs as she grabs several of the newspapers and attempts to hand them out.

"Wow. Now that you think about it, their newspaper is lame," a student said.

"Yeah. It's not even colored."

"Or have any swimsuit photos like the Super Newspaper Club did!"

The group watches as the crowd of students disperses, no longer interseted in their drab reports. Instead of the usual upbeat comments that they recieved, only eager sounds and wrinkling paper could be heard as the crowd fought over the few papers that the Super Newspaper Club had handed out.

"Argh! They've been reading our newspaper for months and now they're not even bothering to look at it?!" Kurumu shouts in anger.

"That's the harsh reality of it," Drayce says as he sighs. "The people don't care whether who's newspaper they read. They care about which one appeals to them the most and clearly Keito has trumped us with their...indecent photos to say the least."

"Maybe we can go find Ms. Nekonome and ask her what we can do about it," Tsukune suggests hopefully.

"Yeah. We should see if she has any tips on helping us out!" Moka replied.

"Well, let's hope she does," Yukari replies worriedly.

The students rush to find their homeroom teacher hoping to find advice from their club chaperone. But despite this, the news they received was less than satisfying.

"What? Can they even do that?" Mizore asks.

"I'm afraid so. They're going to scrap the least popular newspaper. The school can't afford to have a rift between two clubs, nor do they want to diverge more funds for a repeat club," Ms. Nekonome meows sadly.

Dejected, the club members walk back to their classroom. Drayce neatly piles up the non distributed papers into the corner as Kurumu kicks a desk in anger.

"You know, we can always ask Gin for help," Moka proposes. "He is the club president after all."

"No way! He's probably peeping on some girl anyways!" Kurumu replies as she takes a seat, folding her arms across her chest. "Dirty mutt."

* * *

'Oh man, just look at her! I sure got lucky today!' Gin thinks as he peers through his lense of his camera, occasionally zooming in closer to get a better view of the unsuspecting girl.

'Those black stockings with her short skirt and...ARE THOSE RED UNDERW-' he thinks excitedly before his train of thought gets interrupted.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a familiar head of purple hair. This sight was enough to shift his camera focus onto Keito and her minions.

'What is she doing? And what's with the stack of newspapers?' Gin wonders before a look of terror spreads across his face. 'Oh man, if this is a repeat of last year, I don't know if I can take it!'

The werewolf stays put in his hiding spot, waiting for a chance to escape. Once the four girls entered the black building, Gin gets up and sprints away as fast as he could. 'Because if anything happens to them because of me, I can never forgive myself!'

* * *

"Stop, erngh, moving Yukari!" Kurumu grunts as she wrestles on a black and white headpiece onto the witch.

"I'm sorry, I've never done anything like this! This is so embarrassing!" the pre-teen exclaims.

"There! We're set!" Kurumu sighs. The two of them were dressed in matching maid outfits. God forbid Drayce from seeing them because if he did, he would probably yell at them for wearing something indecent.

Kurumu grabs a stack of papers and passes a second to Yukari who takes it reluctantly, still unsure of the plan. Somehow by a miracle, the two manage to get to the cafeteria without being spotted. Once inside, Kurumu plops her stack of papers down on a nearby table.

"Come get your copy of the Yokai Gazette!" Kurumu calls out, putting a winning smile on her face.

Immediately, heads begin to turn towards the two girls. A majority of the students begin to rush at them, a few eager for the paper, but the majority of them just interested in the outfit they donned.

If you sign up for our newsletter, you get a free cookie!" Yukari added, as hands grabbed at the papers and cookies alike.

"See, what did I tell you?" Kurumu whispers as she leans down to Yukari's ear. "It's totally working!"

For about the next five seconds, it was the sweetest moment for Kurumu. Just when she thought that it couldn't get any better, it all came crashing down.

"Come get your copy of the Yokai Square!"

Both the girls craned their necks to see what was going on. Smack dab in the middle of the room was the three girls, minus Keito. All of them were dressed in outrageously small two piece bikinis.

At the announcement of their arrival, every single person rushed towards the girls, all of them shouting, drooling, and having nosebleeds over the girls.

"If you sign up for our newsletter, we'll give you full color pictures of us in this outfit!" one of the girls said cheerfully as she handed out the photos.

Kurumu began to develop a tick in her eyes, getting angrier by the second. "Are they even allowed to do that?!" she demands.

"It doesn't even matter because of the fact that they are doing it," Yukari replies sadly. "Huh?! Hey, get away from me you sick pervert!"

A short chubby boy with glasses was drooling in front of Yukari, his hands outstretched. Seeing this, Kurumu immediately kicked him away.

"Come on Yukari, we're going back to the classroom," Kurumu growled.

* * *

"You did WHAT?" Drayce yells, his eye narrowing. "I can't believe you two."

"Hey! Don't rope me in with her! It was her idea," Yukari shot back.

"I would have at least thought you would have the sense to refuse," Drayce sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose, sitting himself down at a desk.

"Guys, fighting over something won't resolve our conflict," Tsukune says as he tries to intervene.

"Tsukune's right. We have to find another way," Moka agrees.

"Preferably one that doesn't make us seem like fools again," Drayce grumbles as Mizore plays with his hair.

"What's going on here?"

The door slides open and Gin walks in, a look of concern on his face.

"Gin, you're here!" Moka exclaims.

"About time," Kurumu says under her breath.

"I heard about the whole thing from my friends. I wouldn't mess with the Super Newspaper Club anymore, especially since the Security Committee is behind it," Gin says.

"Then what do we do?" Mizore asks.

"Nothing. I don't want you guys to do anything stupid. Burn the papers. As long as the Security Committee is here, they'll always get their way. We're finished," Gin orders before leaving the classroom.

A sense of shock and dread began to settle in as the door to the classroom closed. Only then did Gin's word truly register in the club members.

"Burn the papers huh?" Drayce asked hollowly. "Want me or the incinerator to do it?"

"I guess we really don't have a choice in this," Moka said softly.

Without warning, Mizore stands up and runs out the room, slamming the door behind her. Immediately afterward, Drayce gets up to go follow her. "I'll go talk to her," he says shortly before leaving the room as well.

Everyone else stands up and grabs a stack of the newspaper and walked out to the back of the school to the incinerator. Tsukune pulls open the hatch and starts up the machine.

The group begins to pile the papers into the incinerator, the smoke venting out of the top. They work in silence with their heads bowed.

"Well, there's more in the classroom. Me and Yukari will go get them," said Moka.

The rest of the group waited in silence as Kurumu picked up the last stack of papers from the boxes they brought over.

Kurumu grips the papers, tears threatening to spill out. "This doesn't feel right," she whispers.

"None of this does," Tsukune agrees. "But we have to."

"It's just...we put so much effort into making these for others to read! And now it's going to waste!" she cried.

"We know Kurumu, but there's not much we can do when the school is against us," Tsukune replies sadly.

"Tsukune, let's hand these out! I don't care what Gin or any of the others say! Our work deserves to be known!" Kurumu shouts.

Amidst the soft sobbing from Kurumu, laughter and giggles began to sound from behind the duo.

"Oh mistress!"

"These students still want to pass out their poor excuse of a paper to the school!"

"Inflict your divine wrath upon them!"

Tsukune and Kurumu watches as the three girls from the Super Newspaper club prance around and taunt them. "You guys again?!" Kurumu rages.

"And who's this mistress?" Tsukune wonders, but before he could say anything else, a web attaches itself to the stack of newspapers in Kurumu's hands and yanks it out of her grasp.

The papers fly overhead and right into the hands of Keito, standing above them on a single strand of web. Smirking, the older girl tosses the stack of paper from hand to hand.

"Huh, it's lighter than I expected. I guess your articles are light on content," she crows before lowering herself to the ground with another web. "Thank you girls for keeping an eye on them."

"We live to serve you and you only, our wonderful mistress," the three girls chanted in unison.

"Seriously, what the hell! Why do you want them to spy on us anyways?" Kurumu shouts, only backing down with a light shoulder touch from Tsukune.

"Please tell us and why are you guys trying to get us terminated," Tsukune requests.

"Tsk, you all are so full of questions. I guess it stands to reason that Ginei Morioka really hasn't told you anything at all," Keito muses.

"Tell us what?" Tsukune wonders.

"Like it matters. From this moment forth, your precious club and your worthless papers are done," Keito declares.

"Like hell it is! Those are our papers! Give them back now!" Kurumu demands.

"What did you say to me? Do you even know who you're talking to?!" Keito angrily shoots back as she throws the paper in her hands into the incinerator. "See, I knew your papers were just page after page of trash and don't you see how well trash like that burns?"

"Those are our papers!" Kurumu shouts as she runs towards the incinerator.

"Not anymore, they aren't! They're gonna burn!" says the other girls, holding back Kurumu from reaching the burning papers.

"Hold on Kurumu, I'll get them!" Tsukune shouts as he begins to run her direction. Despite his efforts, he had only taken a few steps before a web wraps itself around his body and flings him high into the air, hanging him from the line of web Keito had been standing on minutes earlier.

The older girl smirks and sheds her school uniform. Underneath, she was in a completely black clad except her black top that had a patch of cloth missing right above her stomach. Three extra legs from her midriff sprout out. From her pocket, she pulls out a white and gold armband and puts it on, the golden symbol gleaming in the sun.

"You. I know who you people are," Kurumu says, shaking with anger.

"So you do. I have to give you credit for being a good reporter," Keito smiles smugly. "We are the Security Committee, here to uphold the laws and justice at this school."

"Law and justice?! Don't get me started on your bullshit! You guys are all just lowlives and thugs that bully the weak!" Kurumu angrily spits out.

Keito laughs and spits out lines and lines of webs, hitting and ensnaring all four girls into a web high above the ground. "My my, seems like your attitude needs a change. If you want to know the end result, look beside you. Those three girls were all part of clubs that defied the Security Committee as well," Keito begins mildly before an insane smile grows on her face.

She leaps high into the air, grasping on to her own strands of the web. With the same grin on her face, she begins to crawl towards the center of the web where Kurumu laid. "You see, once I inject you with a bit of my venom, you'll be as obedient as those girls over there! I guess you have that to look forward to."

"No way! I won't become a servant for an eight-legged bitch like you!" Kurumu exclaims. "I'd rather die!"

"Oh struggle all you want, it's no use. I just love it when prey struggle," Keito cries gleefully.

"Hey spider-woman. Is that what you look like in your monster form? It kinda blows."

"Ya know, I have to agree on that one. Not a huge fan of those jorogamos. Or was it yoramango? I never know."

A hail of ice shards flies straight towards Keito, forcing her to roll to the side in order to avoid the strike. A loud groaning and rumbling sounds below Keito causing her to look down, only to see a massive glacier forming below her with the spikes coming right for her. Growling, she jumps backwards just to see the wall of ice break through the strands of web she was just crawling on moments ago.

"What?! Ice?!" Tsukune exclaims, a look of surprise on his face. "Mizore, Drayce!"

"You insolent brat! I'm a jorogumo and if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Keito screeches before shooting a strand of web at the tree Mizore and Drayce were standing on.

With a grin, Drayce holds out his hand and a narrow stream of fire bursts forth, meeting the web. Upon contact, the strand bursts into flames, burning pieces of silk fluttering in the air before Keito's eyes.

"Actually, we aren't gonna fight you," Drayce smirks. "She is."

Keito looks down towards the main road to see Yukari and Moka rushing in. With a wave of her wand, Yukari magically summoned three stacked washtubs which Moka leaped off from. Keito watched in anger as Tsukune swung towards Moka's outstretched hand but despite the pair's efforts, Tsukune missed and he grabbed the rosary instead. Like all previous times, red moonlight flooded the place as Moka's transformation took hold.

"Argh! What is this?!" Keito growls as she shielded her eyes from the bright glare. By the time, Keito had blinked the spots away, Moka had already gotten Tsukune down from his binds.

"Hey! Hurry up and do something about this! Tsukune wasn't the only one trapped!" Kurumu shouted.

"No." Moka's reply was short but sharp.

"WHAT?!"

"If you want to avoid becoming one of that spider's minions, you'll have to get out of the situation yourself," Moka explained.

"Fine. There must be something I can do," Kurumu mutters as she looks around. Her eyes landed on the torn webbing from Drayce's glacial wall. "Ah ha!"

Sprouting her wings, Kurumu rips through the webbing and slashes away at any remaining silk with her now elongated nails, freeing her from her predicament. "Looks like I didn't need your help after all," Kurumu smirks as she floats to the ground.

"Don't you dare get cocky, you damn brats!" Keito screams as she fully transforms into her monster form, her face morphing into that of a spider's. She spits out another line of web which latches on to Moka's forearm. "You're no match for our head, Kuyo!"

Drayce's eye widen for a split second before his anger boils up and over. He jumps off the tree and lands a devastating blow with his knee onto Keito's back, his eye flashing with pent up fury. "Say his name again!" he roars. "SAY IT!"

"Drayce, what are you doi-"

"BE QUIET!"

Kurumu takes a step back, surprised by Drayce's harsh tone. "Hey! What was that about?! You didn't need to sna-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Drayce roars, his fury overtaking him. "You, say his name."

Keito trembled but remained silent. In anger, Drayce grabbed her arm and twisted it while yanking it upward. He slams his palm onto her joint and applied pressure. "Say. His. Name."

Still staying silent, Drayce narrows his eyes and slams his palm forward, earning a sickening crack sound which made everyone jump. Keito screams in pain as Drayce dropped her broken arm to the ground.

"Drayce, that's enough!" Moka yells as she steps forward.

"Not until she answers my question," he growls back, his one eye now glowing completely white. "Say his damn name."

"K-kuyo," Keito whimpers. "Pleas-"

"I'm not done yet. Where is he?"

"I-in our h-headquarters n-n-now," Keito stammers.

"Like the damn coward he his," Drayce growls as he stands up. He kicks Keito in the side, a few more cracks resounding which indicated broken ribs. Keito was sent rolling until she stopped after hitting a tree. Her body was still.

Drayce stands up and a barrage of hail strikes him. He roars and rounds on his assailant. In front of him stood Mizore, her hand raised. "You would attack me?" he asks.

"You've gone too far. This isn't the Drayce I know," Mizore replies, her voice trembling. "You wouldn't hurt anyone like that."

"..." Drayce looks down, his fists clenching and unclenching. "I'm going back to the dorms," he says shortly. He walks past the group and away from the scene, looks of confusion aimed at him.

Watching his retreating form, tears began to run down Mizore's eyes. 'What aren't you telling us? It just doesn't hurt you Drayce, it hurts us too!' Mizore thinks as she wipes her tears away.

* * *

"Keito? Defeated?"

"Yes. Her injuries extend to a severely broken arm and some broken ribs as well. She's going to be out of commission for a long time."

Kuyo picks up the files from his desk as he reads each one. "And I assume the vampire did it?" he asks.

"Contrary to that sir. Drayce Tatsugami was the perpetrator."

"Drayce Tatsugami," Kuyo muses as he thumbs over Drayce's student file. Just as he was about to finish up, another file caught his eye. "Tsukune Aono. What is known about him?"

"Not much sir. Everything we have on him is on that file."

"Hmm. I think we're going to have the most excitement we've had in years," Kuyo grins as he burns both Drayce's and Tsukune's file, watching as the ashes float to the floor.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ayy, 10 days late but at least it's up! This chapter's a doozy as the Security Committee has finally caught on to Tsukune's secret. What's gonna go down? Read on and you'll find out!**

"As you may know, very well I may add, that Keito is out of commission. You could take her place if you wish to join," Kuyo smiled as he folded his hands together.

"I do."

"Hmm. Very well then. I look forward to working with you _again_ my old friend _,_ " Kuyo grinned. "Now I actually have a case for you as of right now. The Newspaper club has been very difficult, to say the least, to handle," Kuyo spoke as he leaned back in his chair. "Currently I am most interested in these two. What can you tell me about them?"

Kuyo slides two open files across the table, waiting for a response. "This one isn't very complex. The events that have occurred involving this individual are accurate. What you see is what you have."

The file is pushed back to Kuyo's direction. Kuyo rubs his chin in thought. "I see. Then what about this one? What can you tell me about Tsukune Aono?"

"There is not a significant thing about him. He is an average student in all areas, which makes him the object of significance."

"Go on, then," Kuyo pressed.

"Tsukune Aono is a human."

* * *

"Hey, did any of you guys see Drayce? It's been four days and he still hasn't come to school," Kurumu asked worried.

"No, nothing at all. Maybe he got sick?" Moka wondered.

"But he would've asked for homework assignments or something of the sorts," Tsukune mumbled. "This really isn't like him."

"He hasn't returned to his apartment at all. It was empty the entire time," Mizore mumbled hollowly.

Moka, Tsukune, and Kurumu looked at each other worriedly. This was the worst that they had ever seen of the purple haired girl. Her eyes were blank, empty, and lifeless. As each day passed, it had gotten progressively worse, making it almost impossible to talk to her.

The door to their classroom and a group of monster wearing black uniforms filed in. All of them had the armband of the Security Committee on their sleeve.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Ms. Nekonome cried out. "You can't interrupt a class!"

"I'm sorry but this will only take a moment," a man with long blond hair spoke, a slight grin on his face. "For those who don't know me, my name is Kuyo."

"Kuyo! That's the guy Drayce got all worked up about!" Moka whispered.

"I don't know. It seems like they're not here for Drayce though," Kurumu spoke as she observed Kuyo's sweeping gaze.

"Kurumu Kurono, Mizore Shirayuki, Moka Akashiya, and Tsukune Aono. You are to be brought in for questioning," Kuyo declared, "as Tsukune Aono is accused of being a human!"

At that statement, the other members by his side surged forward and grabbed him by the arms roughly, pushing them out the door, all the while the other students whispered and pointed.

"Thank you. You may resume classes," Kuyo said shortly before joining the rest of his crew.

"Stop it! Let go of me!" Kurumu exclaimed angrily as the woman holding her pushed her forward.

"You will all stay silent! One more word and I will have your tongue cut out," Kuyo replied coldly.

From behind the staircase, Yukari watched as the Security Committee dragged her friends away. "Come on! It now or never," she told herself. "Hey! Let go of-HMPH!"

Her words were cut off when a hand clasped over her mouth and a second one dragged her back behind the stairs.

"What are you doing?!" a voice hissed. "Do you want to get caught too?!"

Yukari gets spun around and finds herself face to face with Gin. "I already told you guys not to get involved!"

"Yeah but I can't just stand by while everyone else gets taken by them!" Yukari protests.

"Yukari, it just us two now," Gin spoke calmly. "Drayce disappeared after your run in with Keito. My guess, he got taken first. If you want to be able to save them, we need to make sure we're safe ourselves, though I really hope it doesn't have to come to that."

Yukari's face grew worried as she peered back down the now empty hall. "Guys," she mutters softly. "Please be alright."

* * *

The entire building was dark, only lit by a few well placed torches that illuminated the ground in front of them. After being brought back to the Security Committee's headquarters, each of them were shoved into a separate interrogation room.

Each time they reached out into the darkness, they pulled open a door and slammed it shut after forcing one of them into the room. The door disappeared upon being closed, making it impossible to tell that there was a room there in the first place.

"Tsukune Aono."

Said boy turns to the source of the voice and he spots Kuyo walking towards him.

"Argh, what do you want with us?! Where are my friends?!" Tsukune yells.

"Touchy attitude. You already know where your friends are," Kuyo replies, a sinister smile on his face.

"What about Drayce? You bastards took him as well, didn't you?!" Tsukune spat.

"Perhaps. But he being taken care off," Kuyo responds, the same twisted smile on his face. "You are currently here for the suspicion of being a human! What do you have to say to that?"

Silence pans out. "Oh? Nothing to say? But it sure seems that the others have lots to say," Kuyo remarks, amused.

He raises a remote and a screed flickers on. The screen showed a student sitting in a chair in the middle of the room.

"What do you know about Tsukune Aono?"

"That guy?"

The voice belonged to Saizou, the orc that had fought him on his first day at this school. "I mean, there's not much to him. Got into a little scuffle with him and his vampire friend on the very first day of school. He was weak. Just stood there and took the hits, never transformed. Even off school grounds."

The television flickered again and this time, an older man appeared. "He's below average in class. Never showed strength or speed or any athletic ability."

The screen changed once again. "I tutored him last year when he was failing my class," the now revealed Ms. Ririko spoke. "He never resisted and come to think of it, he had that delicious smell about him."

"There's definitely nothing special about him."

"His monster form? Nothing at all, almost like he didn't have one."

"You see? Teachers and students have nothing to say in your defense," Kuyo laughed. "Though your friends seem to be selling the same points over and over again."

"He's a good friend! Tsukune can't be a human! Anyway you look at it, the facts lines up," Kurumu declares.

"Oh, what makes you think that?"

"The school's barrier makes it impossible for any human to enter! Just him being here clears his name!" the bluenette argues.

"His monster form. He is your friend, yet you know next to nothing about it?"

"We're forbidden to talk about our monster forms or even show them for that matter," Mizore says deftly.

"Even when you all were off school grounds and got into trouble? He didn't show it once?"

"Well, all that really means is that he's just really good at following school rules, doesn't it?" Mizore rebukes.

"Kurumu, Mizore."

Tsukune shut his eyes, unable to look any longer knowing that they were arguing for a false claim. "Perhaps we should see how your vampire friend is holding up," Kuyo proposed. Tsukune visibly pales at the statement, his mind flashing through the possible things that Kuyo was putting his friend through.

"As I'm sure you're quite aware, vampires are said to love human blood. Eyewitness statements tells us that Mr. Aono is the only student whose blood you drink," the thug interrogating Moka said.

"It's-it's just his blood is tasty. It doesn't mean he's a human," Moka whispers.

"I am growing tired of your games, girl. You've been telling me the same lie since you arrived," the interrogator snarled. "I think it's time you told the truth."

A glass of water was slammed forcefully down onto the table, the contents spilling out a bit. Moka stared at the liquid with fright. The thug dips his finger into the water and flicks the liquid at Moka, who lets out a shrill screams as it makes contact with her skin.

"MOKA!" Tsukune shouts in horror.

"PLEASE! I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!"

"You lie yet again."

Another shrill scream pierced the air as more water comes into contact with Moka, electricity sparking off of her body. "LET HER GO NOW YOU DAMN BASTARD!" Tsukune bellows. "ITS ME YOU WANT, NOT THEM!"

Kuyo grins madly and slams Tsukune's head down to the ground with his foot, pinning him there. The screams of pain from the vampire continued to echo through the room, all the while Kuyo laughed crazily. "Why should I?" he asked with glee. "You're the one who refuses to transform to even save your friends! If you transform here and now to get out, I'll let you and your friends go!"

Tsukune shuts his eyes, gritting is teeth as the sounds of Moka's scream continue to fill the air, growing louder and louder by the second. "What's wrong? It's a good deal!" Kuyo taunted jeeringly. "Oh wait, you can't because you're a human!"

"Let her go, Kuyo! You've won! I'm a human!" Tsukune shouts, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

Immediately after the confession spills out, the sounds stops and the television flickers off. The entire room goes silent. "Did you hear that?" Kuyo shouts out to seemingly no one in particular. "You're friend has confessed!"

Kuyo snaps his fingers and at once, the darkness melts away, revealing what seems to be every single member of the committee, as well as Mizore, Kurumu, and Moka. If the expressions of Mizore and Kurumu had been any indicator, they had heard everything. "You see, this shrine had many layers of illusions, giving the appearance that we are separate, but if need be, we can bring our entire forces together in an instant," Kuyo explains.

"Tsukune, please tell me you're lying," whispers Kurumu, whose eyes had tears gathering.

"Tsukune why?" Moka whimpered. "You shouldn't have said anything, no matter what happened to me."

"You knew this entire time?!" Kurumu shouted angrily, slapping Moka in the face, the resounding strike echoing in the room.

Tsukune stared in shock and horror. "Kurumu, please. Calm dow-"

"Shut up Tsukune!" the succubus cries out in response, turning her gaze onto Tsukune.

He was simply at a loss for words. He hung his head in shame.

"Lock the vampire up. The other two can leave," Kuyo ordered.

Mizore and Kurumu give Tsukune one last scathing look before turning to leave the dreary and dark shrine. Two of the security members began to drag Mika away.

"Your just desserts, human. Betrayed by those you called friends," Kuyo mocked. "As the head of the Security Committee, I call that Tsukune Aono hereby be put on trial for being a human, which the penalty is death. All who find him guilty?"

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

The chorus of agreement rises up from the crowd, each of the members condemning Tsukune to his fate.

"Tsukune Aono. We, the committee find you guilty of being a human. Your execution will take place at 4:44 tonight," Kuyo informed. "Your fate has been sealed."

* * *

Gin watches as Yukari paces back and forth in the clubroom, the witch muttering to herself the entire time. Gin sighs and checks the lense on his camera for the seventh time in the past thirty minutes. "Wearing out the floor isn't going to help anything," Gin speaks as he polishes the glass delicately.

"I know, I know! But I'm just so nervous! I don't know what could be going on and knowing that my hands are tied in the matter doesn't make it any better!" Yukari frets.

"But that's the only thing we can do," Gin replies grimly."Someone's coming."

The two watch the door with sick anticipation and when it finally slides open, Mizore and Kurumu enter. "You guys!" Yukari exclaimed, rushing to her friends at once but immediately notices the defeated look on their faces.

"Where's Moka and Tsukune? And Drayce?" Gin asks urgently.

"It's true. All of it," Kurumu whispered quietly. "We were there when he admitted it himself. To make things worse, Moka had known all along so she got roped in too."

"Well, Tsukune was the only one who was really excited to be back in the human world, now that I think about it," Yukari uttered.

"I just though that the kid was too much of a bumbling idiot to be a monster when I first met him," Gin pitched in. "Any news on Drayce?"

Mizore shakes her head. "Apparently they got to Drayce first. That's why he wasn't here these past few days," she said quietly, the corners of her eyes beginning to shine with tears.

"How? Drayce is one of the best in hand to hand combat!" Yukari exclaimed.

"We know. We thought that maybe he had been ambushed on his way back to the dorms that day but it seemed unlikely but it's the most reasonable. From what Mizore has found, his room was exactly the way he had left it. No sign of struggle at all," Kurumu explained.

"Damn it!" Gin shouts, slamming his fist into the blackboard.

The door to the classroom rapidly opens and closes as Mizore runs off to who knows where. Gin eyes the spot that the ice woman had been in. "Well, she's got the right idea. The best thing to do is try to make up with the Security Committee or just lay low until the fire dies down. I'll be staying in my dorm," Gin suggests as he leaves as well, leaving Kurumu and Yukari in the room together.

"Hey Yukari."

The witch tore her eyes away from the door and turns to face the succubus. "What is it Kurumu?" she asks.

"What do you truly think about humans? All my life I thought that human men were just meant to be slaves for my kind, but now I'm not so sure," Kurumu begins, her head hanging low.

Yukari opens her mouth to begin to speak but is cut off when the announcement system began to crackle with static before bursting to life. Through the device, Kuyo's voice could be heard, magnified throughout the entire school. "Attention all. Tsukune Aono has been identified as a human who has snuck in and infiltrated Yokai Academy! He will be executed promptly at exactly 4:44 PM today. I invite any and all students to come watch the show, if they so desire."

With that, the speaker system falls silent once again. Within minutes, students begin to stream out of the building to the area of the execution. Large mobs begin to for and within seconds, shouting, yelling, and jeering fill the air, all demanding the same thing; the death of Tsukune Aono.

"Kurumu! Do you hear them?! We have to do something!" Yukari pleaded, tugging on the bluenette's sleeve. "We need to save them!"

"Moka and Tsukune!" she cries out suddenly, surprising Yukari with tears streaming down her face. "Both of them are complete idiots!"

* * *

"This is horrible! We aren't supposed to be supporting this! Yokai Academy has always been about creating peaceful existence, not ruining them!" Ms. Nekonome cried out.

"Well if the committee hadn't decided to kill him, I certainly would have," Mr. Kotsubo grumbled.

"Shizuka? The director would like a word," Ms. Ririko informed the distressed teacher.

"What?! But we should be down there stopping that! What does he want with me?!" Ms. Nekonome asked.

"Ask. Less. Questions. Now. Let's. Go." Ms. Ririko emphasized, wagging her finger to every word before dragging Ms. Nekonome out of the teacher's lounge.

* * *

"Your time is almost up human. You've been awfully silent. Been thinking about your sins?" Kuyo asked, a smug grin on his face as he looked upward at Tsukune, who was currently bound to a fancy metal cross.

"Please, just promise me one thing," Tsukune requested with a trembling voice.

"Oh? A last request. Let's hear it then, for I am not without mercy," Kuyo replies as he entertains the thought.

"When you're done killing me, please just spare the rest of my friends," Tsukune requested.

"A selfless request for a human I see. Very well, I see no point in not granting it," Kuyo sighed. "I'll be sure to have their deaths be quick and painless!"

"What?! No! Please, don't hurt them!" Tsukune cried out.

"Of course _I'm_ not going to hurt them. Our executioner's doing the honors. Actually, why don't I introduce you? After all, it is common courtesy to meet your killer before you die," Kuyo mused.

He turns and beckons forth someone from behind him. The figure steps out in front of Tsukune. "You see, he only joined us recently but I have worked with him in the past and I can say, he does his job quite efficiently but brutally too," Kuyo grins. "In fact, he was the one who informed me of who you were in the first place!"

"You've hired a murderer and a stalker?!" Tsukune cries out in shock.

"Oh no, just an old friend you see! I'll leave you two for now to talk things out," Kuyo finishes, a crazed sadistic smile on his face as he steps back.

Tsukune turns his attention to the figure in front of him, desperately trying to appeal to him. "Please, he's insane! Don't listen to him!" he shouts down.

"Oh, that's not necessary, Tsukune."

The soft voice makes his blood run cold. Despite all the shouting and noise in the background, it was just the two of them. His executioner moves to remove his hood, with Tsukune watching every move, horrorstruck. A single red and blue eye stares at him, emotionless. The left side of his face was adorned by an intricate mask made of ice. Tsukune Aono and Drayce Tatsugami stared at each other, and for a moment, nothing else mattered.

"Drayce," Tsukune croaked when he finally found his voice again. "You sold me out. You traitor."

 **A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUN. And the traitor reveals himself. Stay tuned for the finale of the season 1 chapter(s?)!**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Well, well, well! 52 follows and 42 favorites! Thank you all so much for your support on this story! Breaking my upload cycle for you guys and uploading this new chapter as a celebration. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

"Drayce, why did you turn on us?" Tsukune begged, hurt and betrayal flashed in his eyes as he looked at his friend, or former friend now.

"It's nothing personal. Just…" Drayce paused like he was trying to find the right word to describe the situation. "Revenge."

"Revenge?! Wha-?" Tsukune was at a loss for words. What did he even do?

"As you should be! I was afraid that you lost your touch," Kuyo smiled as he stepped forward once again. "You know, even at a young age, he was one of the best out of all my colleagues. Very few were as savage or as brutal as Drayce was."

"You flatter me Kuyo," Drayce replied flatly. "It is nearly time for the execution. Shall we proceed as planned?"

"Yes, yes. Of course!"

"I'll leave the grand speech to you then. I was never one for public speaking," Drayce humored.

"Students of Yokai Academy! We shall now proceed with the execution of Tsukune Aono!" Kuyo began before he started to drone on for quite sometime about the Security Committee.

"Do you not care?!" Tsukune shouted angrily. "Moka was tortured!"

"And who's fault was that?" Came the reply. Tsukune's face slackened with horror.

"You selfish bastard! I thought you cared! You were our friend!" Tsukune was absolutely howling with rage at this point.

" _Good. Let your rage grow even more. It'll make it easier for all of you to hate me,"_ Drayce thought.

"What about Mizore?! She loved you!"

Drayce visibly stiffened at Tsukune's words which he took advantage of. "What will she think of you when she sees you?"

"Don't you dare bring her into this," Drayce hissed.

"Mr. Tatsugami, the time has arrived. Would you care to do the honors?" Kuyo asked, grinning with delight.

Drayce allowed a cold smile to grace his features before turning to look a Tsukune. "With pleasure."

His hand blazed to life with a ball of fire and with one last disregarding look, he tossed it onto the base of the metal crucifix Tsukune was tied to. The flames sprung up, magically enhanced, reaching for its victim.

"Tsukune!"

The cry came from above as Ruby and Kurumu, with Moka in her grasp, flew towards the boy. "What is this?!" Kuyo hissed, turning to Drayce.

"An unexpected turn of events and a nuisance," Drayce growled as he whipped out his sword.

The two watched as Kurumu and Ruby attempted to free Tsukune from his bonds. A loud shout came from within the crowd and the sea of monsters parted to reveal Mizore and Yukari charging into the fray.

"Take care of the four up there. I'll deal with these two," Drayce muttered, gripping his blade tighter.

Kuyo nodded and jumped up, giving chase to Moka, Kurumu, Ruby, and Tsukune while Drayce and a league of Security Committee members charged our to engage Yukari and Mizore.

Each member transformed and leaped at the two girls. Yukari magically summoned numerous golden wash tubs, quickly taking out the lower powered members while Mizore was fighting against a stone giant, smashing off an arm with her attack.

Drayce sliced a wash tub in half that had gotten too close, the metal halves clanging away. Drayce watched as a cyclops lept at Mizore's unguarded back. Stomping the ground, a glacier shot out, rocketing towards the two. The strike slammed into the cyclops and stopped mere centimeters from Mizore.

"Get out of my way when I attack," Drayce snarled. "I leave the rest to you lot."

The monsters groaned in agreement before resuming the fight. With on last look at the duo, he speeds off.

* * *

"Tsukune, are you okay?!" Moka cried out, rushing to the boy.

"Moka! Ruby, when did you get here?" Tsukune exclaimed in wonder.

"A friend sent for me," the witch replied, brandishing a new wand. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're safe now."

"All three of you! You have to listen to me!" Tsukune panicked, speaking rapidly. "Drayce, he was never caught! He joined them, he joined Kuyo! That's how he knew in the first place!"

"That's not right!" Moka exclaimed. "Why would he do that?!"

"I don't know but he was the executioner. He was going to kill me," Tsukune spoke, his face paling considerably at the thought.

"That doesn't matter now. He's our enemy now," Kurumu replied, struggling to keep calm.

"Guys, hold up! Something doesn't make sense though," Ruby protested. "Drayce was the one who informed me of what was going on. He gave me Moka's cell number, how to break her out, and the time of the execution! Why would he go through all that trouble?"

"I don't know but what I do know is that you guys saved me from being a goner back there," Tsukune spoke.

"And you'll be a goner up here!"

A spear of fire struck so fast, no one had time to react. The girls watched in horror as Tsukune kneeled over, his entire upper body and insides burned from the attack.

"A pity, really, that the students couldn't have watched," Kuyo smiled, examining his fingers. "But at least the execution was finally carried out."

"M-Moka."

The pink haired vampire cradled the dying boy before her, tears streaming down her face. "I-i don't regret this one bit, coming to this school."

"No, don't say that!" the vampires cried harder, as Tsukune put his hand on her shoulder.

"Please Moka, protect them," he whispered before going limp, his hand falling and catching onto the rosary seal as it fell, pulling it off.

The moment the seal came off, the sky turned red, as the Inner Moka came to light. "You bastard," she snarled.

"Ah, so this is the legendary S class monster I've been hearing about," Kuyo grinned.

"We'll make you pay for what you did to Tsukune," Kurumu screeched, lunging at Kuyo with her extended claws.

A flash of black appeared before her and the clanging of metal sounded with sparks flying into the air. She felt her claws hit something before being thrown back from the force of the collision.

In between the two groups now stood Drayce, his black metal sword held crossed over his body. He deftly whipped it to his side before join Kuyo.

"I left them with the rest to be dealt with. There will be no interruptions," Drayce announced.

"Good, good. Pity we couldn't get you your first kill back on the job, but no matter. There are plenty more opportunities to come," Kuyo apologized.

"I can't believe you would ever be in a league with him!" Moka roared with as much venom as possible.

"Do not compare me," Drayce hissed back dangerously, pointing his sword at Moka.

"STOP!"

Mizore and Yukari burst through the door, running to the scene. Mizore put herself directly into Drayce's path. "Do you have a death wish?" Drayce asked, his voice calm.

"No. You would never do this! Why would you turn on us?!" Mizore shouted.

"You won't understand girl, but I have graciously agreed to spare you! All you need do is join us!" Kuyo declared spreading his arms wide open.

"I would rather die than join you!" Mizore spat, her ice claws forming.

"Then prepare to meet death," Drayce whispered. He lunged with lightning speed, his blade ready to cut.

"GIN! NOW!"

The floor between Mizore and Drayce exploded as Gin jumped up from the floor below. The werewolf extended his arm which Drayce grabbed. Gin twisted and threw Drayce right back at Kuyo. The corrupt leader barely had enough time to react before a giant bloody gash appeared on his chest.

"AAAUGH!" Kuyo cried as he stumbled back, clutching his chest. Blood was running down his fingers and the front of his uniform.

"Nice cut. I don't believe we actually pulled that off," Gin growled.

"Fights not over yet. It'll take a lot more to take out Kuyo," Drayce said grimly.

"Wait! What the hell is happening here?!" Kurumu demanded. "Who's side are you on?"

"Everyone, listen to me. After your run in with Keito, Drayce came to me. We began to plan this moment from that point," Gin spoke up.

"Heads up," Drayce yelled. "Not exactly the best time to explain right now Gin!"

After getting over the initial attack, Kuyo launched a blaze of fire at Drayce who managed to deflect it with his hands.

"You treacherous scum," Kuyo spat, heaving heavily.

"What? Did you really expect me to join you and kill my own friends?" Drayce laughed. "You must be incredibly stupid to have believed that story."

"Moka, you have to save Tsukune. I'll buy you enough time," Drayce yelled before lunging towards Kuyo, his sword at the ready.

"Save him? How?" Yukari sniffed.

"I'll give him some of my blood," Moka replies, staring at the unconscious boy.

"That could work! Vampire blood has powerful healing capabilities," Ruby confirmed.

A loud yelling sounded from Kuyo and Drayce's fight. They watched as Kuyo slipped past Drayce's defenses, getting a solid hit in. Even from their distance, they could hear the resounding cracks. Mizore screamed, bringing her hands to her mouth as Drayce was sent flying.

"Hell..of a hit," Drayce groaned. He coughed and a white glowing liquid burst forth from his mouth. His blood, the others realized.

"Gin, defend Drayce. He's in no condition to fight," Kurumu spoke in a shaky voice. "We'll take his place."

"What?! No! He'll kill you all!" Moka shouts dismayed.

"Do you think we don't already know that?" Kurumu replied tightly.

Kuyo observes his new challengers, smirking. His cloths melded into his body as he transformed into his monster form, a fox demon.

"A Youko!" Ruby exclaimed, fear in her voice. "They're a powerful race of monsters often worshipped as gods!"

Kuyo snarls, his four blazing tails spinning. A ring of fire begins to form at the end. Without wasting a second, Kurumu lunges forward with Mizore firing ice daggers at the fox.

Kuyo easily dodges Kurumu's first few slashes while Mizore's ice projectiles simply melted from the sheer heat radiating from Kuyo's body. He knocks the sucubus away as easily as a rag doll, her body crashing into the floor.

"Kurumu!" Yukari shouts.

"Yukari, stay focused," Ruby urges as she crosses her wand with the younger girl's. "We can do this."

"Right!"

The two witches concentrated, uttering a spell. Tarot cards magically appeared, streaking towards Kuyo from all sides. He was surrounded.

Kuyo simply growled, emitting a wave of fire from the ring forming from his tail, incinerating the cards. "You're going to have to do much better than that to defeat me!" he roars.

"Oh, are you sure," Ruby asked, a cocky smile playing at her lips.

The black ashes began to rise in the air, consolidating into a giant raven. The newly formed beast dived down, piercing Kuyo's snout. The demon gave a cry of pain.

"Look, he's changing!" Yukari cried out.

"It's working," Ruby agreed excitedly.

"Argh! I can't believe you managed to hurt me," Kuyo growled, his form changing into one more humanoid. The flames around Kuyo turned blue, growing hotter in intensity.

"You should be honored," Kuyo said simply. "Not many people survive long enough to see my ultimate form."

With that, he launches the ring of fire he had been charging up, blasting back the entire group of students.

"He's too strong!" Yukari cried, coughing at the same time.

"Time to finish you all off," Kuyo spoke lazily. He conjured a second ring of blue fire, tossing it at the fallen students.

"NO!"

Gin raced forwards and took the full brunt of the attack, shielding them from the blast before slumping over unconscious.

Moka races past Gin, striking at Kuyo with as much strength as she had left. It had no effect. Kuyo raised an eyebrow, almost tauntingly. Seeing this, Moka unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches though none of them seemed to have any effect on the fox demon.

"Moka, what are you doing?!" Kurumu shouted.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing more that I can do," she shouted back, continuing her assault.

"Look at you! Weak and pathetic! You gave too much of your blood to your human friend and look how he repaid you!" Kuyo laughed before striking back with full force. Moka reeled back from the sheer brute force of the strike, only to catch another, and another. "You can't defeat me."

"Maybe she can't right now, but I can."

Kuyo threw aside Moka spotting Drayce in his feet, one hand holding his sword, the other clutching the spot where Kuyo had hit him before. "I'm strong enough for this," growled Drayce.

He gives a shout and rushes at Kuyo, the runes on his blade glowing, igniting the sword. The first slash was barley held back by Kuyo, who was surprised by the power behind the strike despite Drayce's injuries. Kuyo began to attack back, only to find his hits deflected one after another.

A cut appeared on his side, and another on his arm, all the while Kuyo grew more and more frustrated. "ENOUGH!" he yelled, smacking Drayce away. "I have had it with you!"

Kuyo fumed with anger watching Drayce's actions. "You are weak! Everything you learned you learned from me! I taught you to control your power, yet you hide it! Why?!"

"Because I'm through!" Drayce bellows back.

"No, you are a coward! You were our greatest pride! You single handedly took down the entire rebellion yourself," Kuyo snarled. "You decimated scores and scores of vampires and monsters of the like without a single scratch on your body!"

"Kuyo, can't you see that was why I left?" Drayce shouts back. "Power of that level should not be controlled and used!"

"Then die with it," Kuyo growled, making a move towards Drayce.

Drayce's hand shoots towards his face, gripping onto the ice mask. Kuyo freezes. "Ah ah ah," Drayce laughs. "For all your talk, you fear it, don't you?"

"Then do it! Unleash your power! Destroy the school with me along it then," Kuyo laughed. "Oh, that's right, I'm calling your bluff."

"Ruby, Yukari. Clear everyone off this roof and get as far away from me as possible," Drayce instructed.

"What will happen to you?" Mizore asked fearfully.

"I don't know. But if doing this gives me a shot at defeating Kuyo, then I'll take it."

With that, he grips his ice mask tightly and shatters it completely. The ice shards fall to the ground, melting away as the magic holding it together wore off. Kuyo gazed upon Drayce full face for the first time.

The left side of his face was deathly pale, having been covered for many years. Slowly, the eye began to open. The eye gave off a sort of strange glow but even from the distance, it was possible to see that he had no pupil or iris. In its place was a miniature galaxy.

Then all at once, Drayce's body went rigid and began to shake as all the power held back with the mask flooded into every inch of his being. His body began to glow with an impossible brightness as if he was the very sun.

Everybody shielded their eyes against the glow, desperate to see what was going on. From the center of the light, screams of agony could be heard. Mizore surged forward but Ruby pulled her back.

A black silhouette soon became visible from the light. They watched as Drayce began to transform. All at once, he began to grow in size, his legs and arms gaining muscle. His hands grew and eventually ended in what looked like claws. His feet elongated into powerful haunches.

His neck elongated and thickened. His cries soon died down and snarling took its place. His head lengthened and flattened again. A tail began to sprout, ending in a triple diamond pattern. From his back, two thin strips sprouted. The light began to die down, sucking back into Drayce, but the light was still equally a blinding.

Black plates began to appear on his arms, legs, chest, head, and neck like armor. The strips from his back began to unfold, revealing wings made from strips of light. When his transformation was complete, the light died down revealing Drayce's monstrous new form. He flexed his hands, swinging his tail side to side, letting loose an ear splitting roar to the heavens.

"He's beautiful," Mizore gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"Incredible! I thought they were all gone! Not a single one has been sighted in over a century," Ruby breathes in a hushed voice.

"So this is the power that he holds," Kuyo murmured, the light emanating from Drayce's form reflecting off his eyes. "Truly a sight to behold."

"He never ceases to amaze me," Moka muttered, holding on to her ribs.

Where Drayce once stood was now a towering dragon, totaling a massive 20 feet in height. His entire form seemed to be made of light itself, save for the black armored portions. Two blue jewels were imbedded on him, one in the center of his chest and the other in his forehead which was surrounded by a crimson red crown.

"Drayce!"

The dragon's head whipped around, focusing on the voice. The galactic eyes focused on Mizore who was walking slowly towards him. "Can you hear me?" she asked, slowly moving forward.

A low growling could be heard and suddenly, his head reared back, roaring. The jewel in his chest glowed brightly, emanating white streaks that traveled along the armor all the way to his mouth.

"Mizore, get back!" Moka cried.

The girl stumbled back a few steps, surprised at the sudden and hostile action. Her eyes remained glued to the dragon, watching as the deadly stream of light it charged up blast straight towards her.

 **A/N: Cat's out of the bag now! After 12 chapters, Drayce's monster form has finally been revealed and things are about to go down! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all in the one!**


	14. Chapter 13

**LightningReformed: After quite the wait, here is the new chapter! But with a new chapter comes a new addition! I recently decided to take on a co-author! Please join me in welcoming PhoenixHelix! Anything you want to say?**

 **PhoenixHelix: I'll just keep it short and sweet, glad to be part of the story telling, looking forward to see where this one goes. Back to you, LightningReformed!  
**

 **LightningReformed: As a disclaimer, Kuro is PhoenixHelix's own OC so all credit for that goes towards him! Also, props for helping me edit and make changes to the chapter! Hope you guys enjoy the first co written chapter for this story!**

Sunlight peeked through the partially closed blinds, hitting a sleeping student's eye. Blissfully unaware of the chaos currently taking place over the academy, the student lazily rose from his bed with a slow yawn. His deep red eyes eventually gaining focus as he realized he was also alone in the rather unkempt dorm room he called his own.

He eventually managed to pull himself from off the mattress just as a pair of pink silk panties, lain purposefully on his drawer, caught his attention. His lips turned into a pleased smirk as he noted the small mirror next to the undergarment with a message written in lipstick.

"Want more later? Call me! Rumi x"

"I think I left a good impression..." he chuckled to himself as he got to his feet and stretched out his limbs.

It had been a good night for him, having managed to bring one of the hottest cheerleaders from third year back to his dorm room for a night of pleasure. He recalled the entire night as he decided to take a quick shower; she'd been screaming encouragement like a banshee as he worked his magic - neither caring at all for the noise of the bed creaking and rocking against the opposing neighbour's wall.

He hummed with satisfaction as he then pulled himself from under the cascade, not bothering to turn off the tap as he dried himself and threw on his uniform: Not bothering with the jacket or tie, just the shirt which he only bothered to button up two or three times over his vest along with pants and shoes. In fact the only part of him he seemed to take notice of was his golden brown hair which he skilfully in a single motion, brushed backward leaving a spiked effect.

"What can you say, big boy?" he asked, fliring to his reflection with a wink before walking over to the window with a grin.

"Time to see who wants to ride Thunderdome today~" he crowed before putting one foot out the window, carelessly to any beholder allowing himself to fall to the ground, only to slow down to a gentle step before casually walking up to the academy.

* * *

The door to a classroom opened with a slam as the red eyed student posed.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies! Kuro's open for busin..." he declared before glancing around, realizing that the room was empty. He shrugged and decided to walk over to the next classroom; it hadn't been the first time he'd walked in the wrong room. He opened the door but again, there was no teacher or students.

"Huh, one teacher pulling a sickie I can understand..." Kuro began but shrugged again, closing the door as he smacked his lips; he was in the mood for a drink.

On the way out, the clock hanging on managed to catch Kuro's attention. His red eyes squinted as he read the time. "Huh. 5:14 already? Damn, must have been on fire last night to have slept this late," he mused. "I guess that explains the empty classrooms."

As the battle between Drayce and Kuyo continued in the scenery behind the glass, Kuro obliviously walked through the next hall towards the vending machines and made a sigh of satisfaction as he noticed his favourite 'Blood Orange Juice' was freshly stocked. Rather then dutifully slip in the right amount, Kuro skilfully rubbed two fingers together before tapping over the option, sending an electrical charge through the machine and manipulating the mechanics within to distribute the drink.

As he took his beverage he noticed a pair of girls rush past as they headed into the main yard. Quickly checking out their figures and features, he grinned to himself and cracked his neck as he instantly dashed to the door they were heading toward, preparing to get either one of them, or if he was smooth enough, both of them won over with his charms.

"So, what's got you two fine..." Kuro began as they rushed through toward the yard, passing him without even noticing.

"Damn, to think we skipped and almost missed this!" one of them exclaimed as she and her friend continued on.

"What could be more fun than me?" Kuro asked almost indignantly but then chuckled. "Nah, they were just shy."

He decided to follow them into the yard and as he did, he beheld what must have been the entire student body in complete chaos. While most were targeting what looked to be the Security Committee, though there were many who were simply just targeting each other.

"Oooh revolution! Ain't seen one of these for a while" Kuro commented to no one in particular, but then the huge shadow overhead caught his attention. He blinked in silent amusement before wandering over to the nearest wall and looked up at the spectacle.

"Huh, dragon. There's something you don't see everyday..." He muttered as he cracked open the can at last; taking a deep drag of his drink just as a student was sent flying right past him.

* * *

The blast left Drayce's mouth and hit the ground where Mizore was just milliseconds ago. The beam traveled forward, cutting through the entire school and the ground below it before shutting off.

"He can't control himself! Get out of here!" Gin growled as he let go of Mizore's collar. "I'll hold him back as long as I can!"

"Thank you," she managed to gasp as she massaged her throat. To her right, Drayce roared in anger then reared up to charge another blast. Seeing this, Gin dashed forward, swinging around the dragon's neck then yanking up and to the side, causing the blast to go through the top tower of the school, disconnecting it completely.

Drayce screeched in frustration and reached up with his talons, managing to grab hold of Gin and slammed him into the ground with so much force, he went through the roof and was sent crashing several floors below.

"Gin!"

The roaring sound of laughter could be heard from Kuyo. "Look at this! He can't even control himself! I don't have to do anything at all!" Kuyo shouted with glee.

"Drayce! You've got to wake up!" Moka shouted.

"He's not going to. Power running rampant in his veins like that. He won't be stop unless beaten in battle, in which case, he'll sooner die from exhaustion," Kuyo called out, feigning worry.

Growling with frustration Moka rushed forward, despite the fatigue from infusing Tsukune.

"Are you crazy?!" Kurumu shouted in disbelief.

"Moka! Don't! He could kill you!" Yukari cried out.

"Someone has to hold him back while you get away!" she retorted as she began striking at Drayce with all the remaining strength she could muster.

Despite her effort, Drayce was barely unfazed but the attacks resulted in him growling as if annoyed, before swatting Moka away as if she were a fly. He briskly charged up another blast and just as quickly unleashed the torrent of fire.

Just as the stream subsided and the smoke cleared, all that remained was another hole in the roof.

"MOKA!" Yukari screamed, fearing the worst.

"Where's Tsukune?!" Ruby asked frantically from out of nowhere, noticing the boy was gone from his spot.

"Look there," Mizore said, a relieved grin on her face; on top of the nearby tower stood Tsukune with Moka in his arms. His eyes were glazed over briefly before he blinked, life seemingly returning within his pupils as he finally registered where he was and who he was holding.

"Wha-?! Moka! What am I doing here?!" he asked surprised and confused as the last thing he recalled was feeling numb and the world darkening around him from the injury the Yoko had inflicted, yet had somehow fully healed over as if it had never even occured.

"Took your time to wake up sleepy head," Moka responded with a small chuckle, flicking Tsukune's nose causing him to crinkle it and jump down back onto the roof with a somewhat elegant grace before setting Moka down.

"That's a dragon." Tsukune said blatantly, gazing at Drayce. "A very big dragon... who, when and what?"

"Yeah, that's Drayce but he can't seem to control himself," Mizore said disheartened with a shake of her head.

"Ok, so he's a dragon with no control... Mizore, it has to be you. If he's in there somewhere, you can snap him out of it!" Tsukune encouraged; regardless of how insane the whole situation seemed, he would allow himself to process it all later. For now he could only think of the fact of how to help his friend. "He'll listen to you, I just know it."

"We already tried! I won't get through!" She protested.

"You will; you're everything to him, if anyone's going to get through to him, it's you" Kurumu agreed.

Taking in the encouraged looks from her friends, she nodded and cautiously stepped forward the raging beast. "Drayce! Please, listen to me!" she pleaded.

"Well this ought to be amusing..." Kuyo snickered as he crossed his arms, almost enjoying the attempt the yui-onna made; nothing brought him as much delight as watching those 'beneath him' suffer. In his mind it was the price of insolence for challenging his view of justice.

Drayce's head turned with a snap and faced her, his fangs bared, with his lips pulled back, as he let out a snarl. Mizore began to inch forward again but stopped as the snarl escalated to a growl.

"Wake up," she cooed. "Come back and wake up."

This seemed to calm him somewhat. The breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed, as he seemed to recall something about the girl in front of him; his primal instincts blinded his judgment like a fog and yet somehow through the haze, she seemed so familiar, so known to him, precious even.

"She's doing it!" Yukari exclaimed.

"Be quiet!" Ruby scolded. "Let her focus."

"Remember who you are, remember who we are," she continued as she reached out a hand.

Hypnotically, Drayce's head began to move towards her until his muzzle was just barely touching her hand.

"Wake up."

* * *

Drayce blinked. His limbs felt heavy, and man was his back sore. He tried to reach back to massage it but he found that he couldn't bend his arm very far. Looking to his left and right, he realized his arms were chained with glowing white restraints.

"Well, the pipsqueak final woke up in his own dream at least," spoke a man in a gruff voice.

"Patience brother," came a woman's reply.

"Hey kid, look up," the man snapped.

Drayce looked up and found himself face to face with two strangers, a man in full suit of battle gear and a woman dressed in a silk gown.

"I know. Where am I? Is this a dream? Blah blah blah," the man teased, moving his hand mockingly.

"Forgive my brother," the woman spoke, interrupting her sibling with a kick to his shin. "For lack of better words, he can be a bit of a sarcastic asshole."

"I couldn't tell," Drayce replied with a frown, staring at the two of them as he allowed himself to ponder. "This is my conscience, isn't it? I lost control when I transformed."

"Bingo! And as of right now, you're on a rampage! You're out to kick some ass and are looking to blow some shit up. Great, awesome..." the man began.

"But!" the sister interrupted again. "If you don't control yourself, the lives of everyone you love will be lost to you."

"Umm, oh no I guess? But you still haven't told me who you are," Drayce replied almost comically.

"Ugh, there are two of them now," the woman groaned as if she expected such a response.

"We'll give you a hint," the man in armor said and he snapped his fingers.

For a brief moment, the visage of two great dragons could be seen behind them, rearing their heads before flickering away. "Ideas?"

"You two are the First of Dragons. And by the way you're dressed, I'd say the two from that fairy tale," Drayce guesses. "Heliod and Crystella."

"Kid, the moment it's real, it stops being a fairy tale," The brother, Heliod spoke.

"Well you two don't look like you're mad or angry at each other," Drayce spoke. "It said you guys had a rivalry so great, it destroyed the rest of the kingdom."

"And it's her fault! Freaking priest..." Heliod complained as Crystella's cheeks reddened slightly.

"There may have been a miscommunication with the prophecy I told my priest at the time. It was said that a child of the two clans would be the one to raise it. Unfortunately, she misinterpreted as raze as in destroy, instead of raise as in elevate," she explained embarrassed.

"Ever wondered why you could do ice and fire magic? Your parents, despite the clans' warnings, fell in love and got landed with you," Heliod snorted.

"Your father was a vortex dragon, a fine warrior of my clan," Crystella spoke, a hint of pride in her voice.

"And your mom was one of mine, a star fire dragon," Heliod agreed. "When dragons give birth, the offspring will be a product of the father and mother which is why you have so many types of dragons. They aren't all categorized as fire or ice dragons."

"Then what am I? A light dragon? That's about as close as I could come up with," Drayce asked now invested in learning, even if this was a conjuration of his subconscious made almost real.

"Every dragon's left eye identifies their heritage. Take a look at yourself, I'm sure you'll piece it together." Crystella encouraged, conjuring an icy mirror.

Drayce peered into the mirror and studied his eye. "Galaxy. A galaxy dragon?"

"What the prophecy actually meant was the child between the two clans is destined to be the next King of Dragons and unite the two warring clans. Your mother foresaw this in the stars and this should explain your family's self imposed exile. They feared for your life, from those who feared you because of that single misunderstanding" Crystella explained with a nod.

"When they died, we decided to look after you ourselves. You became our champion," Heliod said. "That allows you access to our powers; if you can learn how to use 'em of course. You caught on to mine pretty quick."

"Any chance it could take down the annoying asshole outside my conscience?" Drayce asked.

"Oh yeah. Enough to knock him into the next decade," Heliod confirmed with a grin.

"The only challenge that remains for you is to free yourself from these chains that bind you," Crystella spoke.

"Oh, that's been done for some time now. Maybe 30 seconds after I woke up?" Drayce pondered as he causally let go of the chains, letting them fall to the ground and was awarded with the clank that followed.

"Cheeky little bastard," Heliod laughed. "I told you he would do it!"

"Brother, it doesn't matter!"

"You still lost the bet!"

The last thing Drayce heard or saw was the two siblings bickering before he was suddenly pulled into the real world. He blinked awake, the fog clearing from his sight and beheld Mizore before him, her hand on his muzzle. He slowly lifted his head and shook it. He watched Mizore slowly stepping back, her eyes widening in realisation.

 _"You should have left by now,"_ he asked, his voice ringing through his friend's minds.

His friends' faces broke into wide grins at the sound of his voice.

"Well, took you long enough," Kurumu joked.

 _"Mizore, I'm sorry for the way I acted and to the rest of you, I'm sorry for putting all of you in danger. I know my apology doesn't mean anything with everything that I've done but I just want you to understand,"_ Drayce offered guiltily.

"That doesn't matter now," Mizore spoke softly. "Just win."

Drayce nodded and wheeled on Kuyo. He flexed his tail and paws, preparing to go one on one with Kuyo in monster form.

"So you finally regained control, but are you feeling strong enough?" Kuyo sneered as he unfolded his arms and prepared for the coming fight.

 _"Perhaps."_

He rushed Kuyo with surprising speed for a monster his size, bringing down his talons. Kuyo's eyes immediately widened as he dodged the strike, retaliating by condensing and hurtling a stream of fire towards Drayce.

The flames roared and crackled against Drayce's skin but did absolutely nothing.

 _"Try harder."_

Kuyo snarled as he was forced onto the defensive with the coming attacks; slowly losing ground while becoming more and more overwhelmed by the sheer brute strength of Drayce's strikes.

"You fight well, but everything you learned you learned from me!" Kuyo roared. "But this was something I never showed you!"

He concentrated and with a flick of both wrists, multiple tiny balls of blue fire were conjured and began to hover around the yoko. Drayce looked around warily before looking back at Kuyo, an insane smile was growing on his face.

"Game over," Kuyo hissed before throwing both hands towards the dragon; each of the balls shot around Drayce before transforming into a beam of highly concentrated fire that pierced his body from every angle. White blood began to pour from the wounds as he dropped to a knee.

"Drayce!" Mizore screamed as she began to rush toward him, pausing at the sound of his voice echoing in her mind.

 _"Relax, this fight's as good as over for him,"_ Drayce spoke as he got back to his feet and began advancing on Kuyo again.

"Seriously, what the fuck?!" Kurumu exclaimed. "How can he keep pushing himself like that?!"

 _"Neat trick, Foxface, but I've got one of my own,"_ Drayce retorted.

"Then let loose little dragon!" Kuyo laughed a laugh suddenly drowned out by Drayce suddenly roaring before blasting a stream of fire right towards his feet. The fire curved upwards and circled around him, forming a self sustaining fiery cocoon and as the flames swirled, bursts of fire shot outward.

"His monster energy is surging! He was powerful before but now it's off the charts!" Ruby cried out as she tried to conjure a barrier to shield herself from the blazing heat.

At once, the flames expelled outward, revealing a new entity within. Drayce's monster form had become even more monstrous. Now standing at a towering 30 feet, his skin emitted a red light instead of white. His red crown seemingly moulted into a black one with black spines protruding from the sides and curving around towards the mouth. Though most fearsome of all, on the spine of each massive wing was an extra dragon head.

"I wasn't expecting something THAT scary at all!" Kurumu screamed, taking a step back in surprise.

 ** _"Still talking shit? Bring it."_**

Drayce's voice seemed to be overplayed with another person's voice. A male, much deeper and gruff than Drayce's own voice. It was enough for Kuyo to take a step back before his ego forced him forward with gritted teeth.

"No one makes a mockery of me!" The yoko snarled as he concentrates again and let loose another barrage of concentrated blasts of fire. Drayce flared out his wings to its fullest extent in response causing magenta colored waves to emit from his body, dissolving the beams of fire into mere embers as they struck.

"That's not... this can't be happening to me!" Kuyo exclaimed in dawning horror, his ego fueled aggression finally subsiding into realizing the fight was beyond lost.

 _ **"Trust us Kuyo, it is,"**_ Drayce responded as he reared up for a blast, joined immediately with a pair of blasts coming from the heads on both wings. The three beams blended together into one as it connected and flung a severely injured Kuyo towards the ground with so much force, it almost buried him beneath the rapidly expanding crater.

 **"I told you we had enough power."**

 _"I'll definitely be getting used to this,"_ Drayce replied to the voice of Heliod in his head.

 **"Not bad, kid. We'll see ya soon. Trust me."**

As soon as Heliod's presence seemingly faded, Drayce began to transform back into his human form, the power he got from his new found mentor draining away. Once fully transformed, he immediately fell to his knees.

"Drayce!" Mizore yelled as she ran to his side, hoping he hadn't pushed himself too far.

"I think...I think I'm gonna…" he gasped slowly. "Take a nap." with that, he keeled over and passed out right then and there.

Moka limped over to the pair and glanced down at the dragon's sleeping form. "Do you blame him for hiding all of this?" she asked inquisitively, receiving a sideways look of pondering as she took in the question.

"To be honest, I don't know; even after being gone for so long, I can tell there are things he wants to stay in the past," Mizore answered quietly as she caressed Drayce's cheek. "Things that may be too painful to remember."

"It's a dangerous thing to try to bury everything - it always comes back to haunt you in the end," Moka replied heavily as she moved to reattach her rosary seal. "Help him. For all of us."

The seal quietly clicked back into place, reverting Moka back. Tsukune ran and caught her just as she collapsed and behind him was the storm of students that had been trying to get to the roof before. The student body that managed to pour onto the roof began to murmur in awe at the destruction that the fight had caused, pointing and gaping at Kuyo's unconscious form on the ground below.

"Oh, Tsukune!"

The boy looked to his left to see Ms. Nekenome with a relieved smile on her face. "I'm glad you're alright! It's not everyday someone like you beats Kuyo!"

"What? I-" Tsukune began only to be cut off by a chorus of voices from the students.

"Yeah! No human could ever beat Kuyo in a fight!"

"We're sorry we doubted that you were a monster!"

"Ehh, sure," Tsukune replied sheepishly before noting the most important thing; "We need to get Moka and Drayce to the nurse's office quick!"

Ms. Nekenome nodded as her tone suddenly became uncharacteristically serious. "Make way everyone! Tsukune, you can carry Moka. Mizore and I can carry Drayce. It's going to be some time before they recover!"

* * *

After downing a third can of blood orange, then tossing it as the crowd above parted and let Tsukune and the others pass, Kuro belched and gave a silent clap.

"Bout time someone else delivered a couple kicks to that clown's ass." He muttered to himself; recalling a few weeks prior when he and Kuyo had come face to face, before finally taking notice of the state of the students; he'd completely ignored the fighting raging around him, having been too invested in checking out the big fight above and now that was done with, the students who weren't up on the roof were finally put in check by the faculty with many of them having to be helped up with the state they'd wound up in.

Kuro couldn't help but pout, he'd missed the chance to see who'd wind up in bed with him and looking at the state of the building following that last attack, chances were that Mikogami would be forced to suspend all lessons until the damage could be repaired.

"So much for my plan to get some more nookie today... the dragon gets one over foxy a, the hotshot gets the credit and suddenly everyone's tits up. Where am I gonna get some fun now." Kuro hummed a grumble before towards the front of the ruined building with a pondering expression.

"...Wonder how long till Nurari comes along with that bus of his..."


End file.
